Can a mid/forefoot striker suffer with pronation issues?

Hi, I am doing some research for a blog I am writing on addressing pronation issues through good running form. Pretty much everything I have found published online assumes that if you have pronation issues then you are a heal striker.

Thinking it through then I guess if your initial impact location is not the heal then the ankle doesn't come into play when it comes to distributing the impact loading and therefore pronation issues cease to exist.

I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this or am I totally overlooking something.

Looking forward to some good discussion.

Thanks,

Leigh

Comments

  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    I'm no expert but to pronate is normal so therefore mid/forefoot strikers must pronate too.   It's when there is over pronation that there can be a problem.

    I'm a heel striker and mildly over pronate with one foot only when doing longer distances and do most of my training in neutral shoes.

    I don't think that was any help to you at all, was it?!
  • Hi Shades, thanks for your comment and any discussion is useful. I have done a bit more digging around and I am not seeing the whole picture. I guess even if you land on your mid/forefoot the foot would still roll inwards slightly to distribute the load. I wonder if this would be to a lesser degree as the whole foot may not be making contact between impact and
  • slight typo on my previous reply, it was meant to end: "I wonder if this would be to a lesser degree as the whole foot may not be making contact between impact and toe off (is that the right term?).
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Leigh - I don't really know, hopefully a physio/podiatrist will pop on here and explain better.   As far as I know over pronation is not caused by how a runner lands but how much movement there is when they do land and the cause is often caused by other issues....I'm getting out of my depth of knowledge now :o
  • Ove pronation is a myth created by running shoe companies to sell high heeled shoes with motion control, medial posts, wedges,etc. Before the modern running shoes, people ran with better form and fewer injuries in minimalist shoes. Running shoes should only protect the feet and not correct your natural gait cycle. Motion control shoes  place more stress upon the lower legs and create more lower leg problems.
  • David J 27David J 27 ✭✭✭
    edited May 2017
    Not scientific but gut feel is over pronation is not applicable if you have a natural forefoot style. Picturing in my head the gait/cycle. For natural/forefoot you don't have the heel strike, roll forward and then the over pronation outwards to stress the ankle/leg. Simply not enough ground contact/time to over pronate - you'd have to literally land on the outside of your foot?
    Even less scientifically - heal strike means that less flex in foot/ankle - so pronation is means of dissipating force. For forefoot you have the full foot/ankles flex to help so no need for pronation to dissipate forces
  • I land forefoot and pronate. As pointed out above there is a reasonable argument to suggest that overpronation is a myth. 
    My personal experience is that I have had problems with the bursa on the outside of my hips that I assign to pronation causing my knee to collapse inwards.
    At sprint and middle distances paces I find there is little or no heal contact, but at normal long distance race pace and easy run pace there is significant heal contact albeit following initial toe contact. 
    Perhaps worth considering the contribution of overstriding, to both heal and toe strike runners.
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