What It Means If Your Feet Supinate
Supination is a type of condition that can significantly impact your feet, legs, and even back. If you've been told that your feet seem to supinate, chances are your doctor is going to want you to visit a specialist. Here's what you can expect from this condition and how a podiatrist can help you.
What They're Doing
Supination is essentially just a fancy word that means that your feet are leaning outwards. That is to say, your right foot tips to the right, and your left to the left. Rather than weight being evenly distributed across the entire foot, it's instead mostly distributed on the outside edge of your foot, which can change your walk cycle and impact the way that you stand.
There's no one particular cause for supination. Some people are just genetically inclined towards it, while others might develop the condition due to poor posture or from an injury experienced in the past.
How It Impacts You
Supination is actually a pretty big deal when it comes to your comfort and safety. As mentioned, your weight isn't properly distributed across the feet, so the first thing that you might notice is that standing for a long period of time is painful. Perhaps the outside edge of your feet and ankles are painful after standing or walking for a long period of time.
However, the biggest problem that you could face from supination is what it does to your legs and back. When your feet supinate, it puts more strain on the inside edge of your legs, knees, and hips as they try to compensate for your feet tipping outwards. This can tire out your muscles, stretch your ligaments and tendons, and give you an odd gait. If it goes on for long enough without treatment, it can also strain your back as your spine attempts to compensate for your feet going in one direction and your legs in the other.
What to Do About It
The good news is that treatment for supination is easy and effective. Start by visiting a podiatrist. They're specialized doctors that are well-trained in foot disorders and can analyze your gait and standing position to determine if you do indeed supinate.
If you do, something as simple as a specialized pair of insoles may be what it takes to fix this problem for you. Specialized podiatrist insoles are designed to compensate for problems like flat feet or, in your instance, supination. The outside edge of the insole is tipped upwards so that your feet are naturally tipped back in the proper direction.
Supination can cause pain and discomfort for your back, legs, and feet, but it doesn't have to be that way. Talk to a doctor about seeing a podiatrist for your condition to get the relief you need.
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