Neutral, stability, motion control, arch supports, orthotic, supination, over-pronation! What?s it mean, do I care, do I need it, why do I need it?

Neutral, stability, motion control, arch supports, orthotic, supination, over-pronation! What’s it mean, do I care, do I need it, why do I need it?

These are all great questions that we hear on a daily basis. I'll try to take some of the confusion out of it. When a customer comes into Fleet Feet Sports, we analyze their foot, look at the shape, and watch their gait so we can make recommendations to help them achieve their goal. It may be to run or walk their first 5K, finish a half marathon, full marathon, ultra-marathon, triathlon or maybe they just want to feel better standing or walking all day.

We always measure the foot unweighted (sitting) and then weighted (standing). This allows us to see what is happening at the ankle and arch. Helps us determine how flexible or rigid the arch is. Are they supinating, (rolling to the outside of the foot when walking or running)? Is it a high rigid arch or do they over-pronate (arch collapses, ankle rolls to the inside)? This all determines what type of shoe we recommend and what type of arch support to suggest.

Running and walking shoe companies make their shoes in 3 basic categories, neutral, stability and motion control. If we see the arch is high or rigid and a stable ankle, we would typically recommend a neutral category shoe. Neutral is best for the stable arch and foot. That shoe has no support built on the medial (inside) side of the shoe simply because the neutral or stable foot and arch doesn’t need that type of support in the shoe. If we see the ankle rolling in, arch flattening (over-pronation) we want that stability shoe. A stability shoe has a firm support build into the side of the shoe, by the arch area of the sole (medial side), to keep the shoe’s foam and rubber components from collapsing and breaking down to the inside. That brings us to motion control. When we see the arch collapse, ankle and heal bone rolling in a lot to the point of a fully collapsed arch where the foot is flat or close to flat on the ground, we will usually go to motion control. This shoe has a wider constructed sole under the arch area. In addition it has more structure built into the side (medial) of the shoe. That prevents the shoe from rolling or collapsing to the inside. So the support built into the shoe, be it neutral, stability or motion control is there to prevent the shoe itself from wearing down the wrong direction as the weighted foot presses down on the materials.

But don't all high quality shoes come with good arch support built into them? No they do not. The majority of shoes, no matter the quality, are not made with an arch, hump or built up area on the inside of the shoe. Most come with a removable sock liner, which is a soft, flexible piece of material. But it does not aid in supporting the foots arch. The reason for not putting a built up area in the arch of the shoe is, it may fit 1in1000 people in the right area of their arch. Or if you had a $400 custom orthotic, it wouldn't sit flat inside the shoe, but rather at an angle and not function properly and be very uncomfortable. And not everyone loves an arch support under their foot. If you've had a seriously flat foot all of your life, you may not be comfortable having an arch under your foot. It's just not comfortable and you just might prefer the standard sock liner that comes with the shoe.

Why do you or I need an arch support? The function of an arch support (orthotic) is to stabilize the foot in the shoe and support the arch. I have a neutral foot. High rigid arch, little to no movement at the heal and fairly stable ankle. So I wear a neutral shoe with an added arch support. I have no movement in the arch so why do I need arch support? For me it really customizes the fit of the shoe by filling up the space between my arch and the bottom of the shoe. Plus it supports my high arch and prevents the arch area and plantar fascia band on the bottom of the foot from getting fatigued or stressed. 

For the person who over-pronates, the arch support actually slows down or prevents the foot from over-pronating when worn with a stability shoe. As the arch tries to collapse or roll in, because the arch support (orthotic) is resting against the firm support of the stability shoe, the arch is unable to collapse or over-probate.

There have been some medical studies done that suggest, a great over the counter arch support can be as good as a custom made orthotic. A custom can start at $300 and go as high as $500-$600. We stock 2 brands of orthotics. Superfeet which is probably as close to custom as you will get. They range from $45-$55 and on average last 2-3 pair of shoes. Suprefeet got there start back in the 70's making custom orthotics. They wanted them to be affordable for the masses so they took their most common molds and arch heights and introduced the over the counter version. Spenco is another brand that we use. The brand isn’t important. What is important is how it feels to the user in the proper footwear.

Do you need an arch support? I tell customers that arch supports are a benefit, not a must have. That being said, they work and help with many problems, and prevent a lot of problems. We like to let every customer experience it for themselves and decide if they like them. Most people really enjoy the feel of arch support and what it does. But not everyone loves it and that's OK. But If you're having arch, heel, ankle, knee, hip, or lower back pain, plantar fasciitis, or bunions, arch supports can help with many of these problems. Most podiatrist will tell you that everything starts at the heal. If you stabilize the foot, you stabilize the body. When the foot is unstable, the body works very hard to stabilize itself. If you're standing for 12 hours or walking or running for a long period, the instability adds up to fatigue, pain or even injury.

And there you have it. That's the basics and hopefully it helped. Stop on in and try a set of inserts. Bring in your current running, walking or standing on you feet all day shoes and see you if you feel better.

Stay safe, happy and healthy, we’ll see you out there!

Edgar