Forums >Running 101>Over-pronation: any tips to correct?
Overweight per CDC BMI
My wife over-pronates which she has been having ankle/shin pain lately even with stability shoes. She tried a neutral pair of shoes to see if she really needed stability shoes and said she could really notice her ankle collapsing inward. She has been running regularly for 2 years now for weight loss and a few 5k's but I would still say she is a beginner and has not truly build her base sufficiently.
Any exercises to strengthen certain muscles or any running form tips anyone can recommend to help correct? I know it is hard to be precise without watching her running form but I am sure there are some common things people do/lack to cause the pronation.
Memphis / 38 male
5k - 20:39 / 10k - 43:48 / Half - 1:34:47 / Full - 3:38:10
Jump squats, lunges, and calf raises worked for me when I experienced that. I hope she gets better soon.
SMART Approach
My approach is to always focus on the cause vs symptoms. In many cases it's not the shoes it is a "lack of recovery" response. Is it possible she is doing more than her body can handle? First evaluate the plan. Is she doing strength work? It may not be a pronation issue but a mobility and strength issue. A basic exercise to start is one leg standing and balancing....do often. Add rocking, bending, reaching. I would also add one leg calf raises with and without knee bent. Monster walks with a band. A lot of toe taps when seated. This would be a very basic start but can be impactful. I would also likely tell her to just walk for 2 weeks to get things healed and then a very gradual approach back and always good warm up going into the runs.
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All of the above, plus maybe she could run a few laps barefoot or with some foot protection just to see if the ankle still rolls. That would tell you if it's a shoe problem or not.
I don't do it except for occasional training exercise, but some people have found that barefoot or minimal shoes "fix" their issues. I think it's a pain-training thing; it hurts too much to be sloppy so you gravitate toward what is the least painful, which is a gait that millions of years of evolution without shoes to help has created.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying