For years sports shoe companies have tried to counteract people’s bad habits when it comes to walking and running. How important is it to know if you are a pronator or a supinator? What impact force does our body receive when we run? They explain it to us at the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia (IBV).
With each step, both when we walk and when we run, our body suffers a direct impact on the ligaments, bones and joints that, in the long run, can cause us much more serious diseases than we may think. Hence the importance of a correct choice of footwear to practice sports and even to walk on a day-to-day basis. As explained from the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia, “ footwear, in its interaction with the foot and how it affects the way of running, helps us to reduce the impact forces and vibrations that affect our joints , as well as to avoid excessive movement in the ankle joint related to ligament and tendon injuries.
And it is that according to the data of the IBV specialists, when we run, the tibia can support a vibration of up to 12 times the acceleration of gravity . This means that, when reaching the head, these vibrations can reach up to three times this acceleration. Wearing the right shoes can help reduce such vibrations and ultimately reduce muscle, ligament and bone injuries.
One of the key data about people’s footfall is precisely whether they pronate or supinate when walking. Pronation is the tendency to turn the ankle inwards, while supination is precisely the opposite extreme, that is, “sinking” the foot in the outer zone. In both cases, you can be hyperpronator or hypersupinator if this movement is very exaggerated and can lead to serious injuries .
To check the way of stepping that we have, it is enough to observe the wear of the sole of some used shoes . If they are very worn on the inside you are a pronator, while if the wear is mostly on the outside of the sole then you will be a supinator. If both parts are equally worn then you have a neutral tread.
As pointed out from the IBV, when running ” the footwear cushions the impact and helps to minimize deviations in the tread that facilitate the absorption of vibrations derived from the impact along the kinematic chain”. Hence the importance of a correct choice of shoes depending on the type of footprint.
