Overpronation is a word that creates a lot of angst among podiatric doctors and running footwear shops mainly because it brings about a whole lot of confusion and debate. Pronation is actually a movement of the foot in which the ankle rolls inwards and the arch of the foot collapses. This is a normal healthy movement which is important for normal foot biomechanics and impact moderation. Overpronation is meant to be the phrase useful to describe if you have an excessive amount of this normal pronation. The first aspect of the controversy is precisely what is normal what is actually abnormal and where is the threshold of the division between normal pronation and overpronation. You can find robust views on every side of this argument and there does not appear to be any resolution in the discussion coming.
The reason this issue creates a huge amount of debate is that overpronation has been regarded as a primary factor in overuse injuries in runners. Podiatric doctors often use foot supports to deal with the condition and running shoe producers design running shoes to help runners who have the condition. This implies there is a lot of vested interest in this. The problem arises is that the research evidence shows that, yes, overpronation generally is a risk factor for a running injury, however it is not much of a major risk factor. It can be further complicated by a lot of runners that have pretty extreme overpronation and never develop any issues and don't need foot orthoses or running shoes using the motion control design features. That will not help solve the controversy of overpronation nor help clinicians make decisions re foot orthotics and for running shoe shops on advice as to what needs to be the proper running shoe. It really comes down to clinicians and running shoe retailer’s individual expertise and experience and making conclusions in the framework of what exactly is suitable for the individual runner.