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I thought it would be helpful to address a few questions that we get a lot in clinic when helping recreational and high level runners a like. A lot of us can get too caught up with the ideal posture and the ideal movement patterns when doing activities. The abundance of information in this day and age can make things very hard for runners and athletes to figure out what is good and what is not. In this post, we will look into pronation and its possible contributions to injury.

Does pronation cause running injuries?

I get asked about pronation almost every single time I treat a runner for knee pain. Pronation is a combination of movements during a walking or running cycle where the contact points roll from the heel to the toes. Pronation is necessary for several things like shock absorption and distributing our weight properly during the standing phase of the running cycle.

So… Pronation is not too bad?

It is in fact necessary for things like walking and running. Labeling pronation as the cause of all knee pain for example might be doing more harm than good. That’s not to say that over-pronation is never the culprit because that would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Some running injuries can be caused by over-pronation, but not all. The cause of running injuries often require an assessment of the training loads, muscle strength and length, and running assessment among other things.

Most of the time, injury stems from an issue of inadequate cross-training, poor load management and gradation of training volumes than a single movement flaw. Instead of pointing the finger at pronation, we might be better placed to ask why the over-pronation is taking place in the first place. For example, inadequate hip musculature strength and control can lead to increased pronation in the stance phases of running as much as a weak foot arch.

We are lucky to work with several runners from the Kitsilano community with a variety of problems. If you are dealing a running injury, want to start or take up running again, consult with one of our physiotherapists for a thorough assessment of your running style, strength and flexibility, and design a program to suit your lifestyle and goals.

Iyad Salloum, MPT, IMS