Some notes on the nature of the arch of the foot as well as pronation, a central concept in footwear:
You could say that the arch gives height to the foot. However is height the right property associated with the arch of the foot? Indeed the foot is something so three-dimensional so you must ask if height is the correct property. Still height seems to be the closest property that one can give to the arch. The arch indeed is what gives height to the foot. And note that a high arch is associated with supination.
If the arch is posited as a central structure in the foot, then you can define over_pronation as the flattening of the arch as the foot ‘walks’ and ‘runs’. Then there is supination! Supination occurs when the ankle ‘rolls’ to the outside. What happens then is that you are standing on the outward edges of the foot. The foot rolls to the outside, this is supination and its symptoms include pain in the heel area. The foot then rolls to the inside and this is over_pronation and this inward rolling affects the actual arch structure and bringing about the flattening of the arch.
Yes indeed supination and over_pronation at normal levels are important for the foot. It is part of the foot’s adaptation to its functions of walking and running. The problems happen when there is excess inward or outward ‘rolling’.
How important is it for athletes to understand the nature of pronation. The arch is a central structure in the foot and it is at the core of an understanding of pronation. It seems that running shoes generally come in straight, curved and semi curved shapes.
It makes sense for those people susceptible to over_pronation or fallen feet to wear straight shoes. A straight shaped shoes reduces the chances of a fallen arch and it keeps the arch structure in place. A curved shape shoe is suitable for people more susceptible to supination. A curved shape counters any outward rolling of the ankle that might occur. If a straight sole is important in over_pronation, then a bolstered cushioned shoe structure is suitable in supination.
In over_pronation, the arch flattens; the foot is flattened. The arch, which has given shape and structure to the foot, has fallen and there is a flat foot, which means pain in the sole. Think about something falling inside you, inside a body such as the foot. This is the arch and note that this arch is like a central structure which falls down and drops and affects all around it and in over_pronation, the whole central structure of the foot, which was the arch has fallen.
Source: www.articlesbase.com
