Q: The wear on my shoes is to the outside border of the heel. Does this mean I under-pronate?
A: First, let’s start with some semantics. Under-pronation is somewhat a misnomer because what most people are usually referring to is supination. Supination is the opposite motion to pronation, (just as flexion is to extension). Since under-pronation implies a lack of or less pronation, these terms are not really equivalent.
Back to the question – Does shoe wear on the outside of the heel mean you supinate? Probably not. Very few runners actually supinate, that is, land on the outside of the foot and then continue to roll to the outside. Landing with the foot in a supinated position is common which is why most runners will find excessive outsole wear on the outside heel area of their shoes, However, after heel strike, majority of runners roll to the inside. The amount they roll inward is the amount they pronate.
Dr. Nick Brown
Dr. Brown is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas.
