Your pronation can have a big impact on your stride.

Pronation is the natural inward roll of your foot as you walk or run - how your foot lands, rolls forwards and then pushes off into the next step.

A balanced, healthy stride helps absorb impact and distribute your weight - which protects your joints, and allows you to move easily, reducing the risk of injury.

Knowing your own pronation tendency, means you can address any issues - small and large. For example, to make changes to any lifestyle factors that may be impacting you (like your sports) and select the best footwear for your activity.

In this section:

This image of a foot health professional examining a foot, shows part of the process for diagnosing underpronation or supination.

Three main pronation types

Everyone pronates — it only becomes important when that roll is too little, too much, or uneven.

This video Walking and Pronation (OrthoInfo, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) explains what pronation is, pronation types and why it matters.

Thee three main types of pronation are.

  • Neutral - The foot rolls inward slightly to absorb shock, with weight distributed evenly. This is considered the most efficient and healthy gait pattern.

  • Underpronation (also called supination) - The foot rolls outward too much. This reduces shock absorption, and pressure carried along the outer edge of the foot can increase risk of strain or injury, especially to the ankles and legs.

  • Overpronation - The foot rolls too far inward. This places stress on the inner foot and can lead to alignment issues, joint fatigue, and discomfort up through the knees and hips.

Self-assessment: Are you mostly an underpronator, a neutral or an overpronator?

Below is a practical checklist to help you identify your likely pronation tendency.

1. Your family history - Are there any characteristics about your feet and legs that other family members share?

Signs of underpronation

  • High arches

  • Hip/knee issues

  • Bow legs (knees outward)

Signs of overpronation

  • Flat feet

  • Hip/knee issues

  • Knock knees (knees inward)

Neutral

  • No feet or knee issues - or unsure

  • Straight alignment of legs.

2. The shoe wear test

Look at the sole of a shoe you’ve worn for 3–6 months — ideally a walking or running shoe. If you see most wear on…

Outer edge (especially heel to midfoot):

➜ Likely underpronation (supination)

Inner edge (especially under the big toe and inside heel):

➜ Likely overpronation

Even wear through heel + ball of foot:

➜ Likely neutral pronation

3. How Your Foot Feels When You Stand

Stand barefoot on a firm surface and feel your weight distribution.

Signs of underpronation

  • You feel more pressure on the outer edge of each foot

  • Your arches feel high or stiff

  • Your ankles may look like they tilt outward slightly

Signs of overpronation

  • You feel more pressure toward the inside edge

  • Arches feel soft or collapse when weight-bearing

  • Ankles roll inward

Neutral

  • Pressure feels evenly spread

  • Arch maintains its shape under load in a comfortable way

4. The Wet Footprint Test (quick visual) - This test gives clues about arch behaviour.

Wet your foot, step onto cardboard or concrete, and check the shape.

Thin outer footprint with a large gap through the arch:

➜ Underpronation, higher arches

Full footprint with little arch showing:

➜ Overpronation, flatter arches

Moderate arch visible:

➜ Neutral

5. How You Walk or Run

Likely underpronation

  • You “land” on the outer heel

  • Push-off happens more from the smaller toes

  • Your stride may feel slightly rigid

Likely overpronation

  • Your foot rolls inward during the step

  • Knees may drift inward

  • You push off more through the big toe

Neutral

  • Smooth heel-to-toe motion

  • No noticeable inward or outward collapsing

6. Common Comfort Signals

Your body often tells you what’s going on.

Underpronation signals

  • Tight calves or outer shins

  • Ankle instability

  • Outer-edge shoe wear

  • Tendon tension along the outer ankle

Overpronation signals

  • Inner ankle fatigue

  • Collapsing arches after long walks

  • Knee tracking inward

  • Inside-edge shoe wear

Neutral

  • Nothing stands out — your feet feel consistent day to day

Self-assessment results

If your answers were mostly …

  • Underpronation - it means that your stride may tend to roll outward. It may be worth getting some expert advice on what’s happening with your stride and start making some changes to improve your stride and reduce stress on your feet and joints.

  • Overpronation - it means that your stride may tend to roll inward. It may be worth getting some expert guidance to identify any issues you may be dealing with, and what changes and improvements to focus on to reduce stress on your feet and joints.

  • Neutral - it means that your stride stays naturally aligned. While not perfect, your stride is likely to be balanced

Getting a formal diagnosis

While an informal self-assessment is helpful, you may want to get formal diagnosis with expert insight, biomechanical analysis, and practical support, to enable you to make changes and improvements based on:

  • Your pronation type - are you an underpronator or supinator, overpronator, or have neutral pronation?

  • Why it’s happening - there could be underlying issues such as your foot shape, muscle weakness or skeletal alignment.

  • What to do next - for example, start a programme of strength training. And also address any lifestyle factors that may be impacting you and learn about the footwear that’s most suitable for your pronation type.

This can take some time and perseverance and involve a range of experts - each bringing different knowledge, skills and tools to get a full picture of what is happening to your stride.

Select the (+) for a brief summary of some of the expertise you may find helpful.

    • Often act as a first point of contact and assess your symptoms.

    • Refer you to the relevant specialists such as a physiotherapist or sports medicine doctor.

    • Assess your mobility, joint function, muscle strength, and pain triggers.

    • Identify mechanical imbalances through observation and hands-on testing.

    • May recommend temporary supports, for example a moon boot to promote rest of a joint, and prescribe exercises.

    • May refer you for medical imaging or a specialist review if structural issues are suspected.Description text goes here

    • Provide a medical diagnosis supported by imaging, for example x-rays and MRIs.

    • Identify underlying skeletal contributors such as bow legs or joint misalignment.

    • Often lead an overall treatment plan and works closely with physical therapists and podiatrists to implement it.

    • Specializes in foot and lower limb biomechanics.

    • Performs gait analysis (often using treadmill video capture or pressure mapping).

    • Can use 3D foot scanning to evaluate arch type, foot pressure zones, and structure.

    • Prescribes custom orthotics tailored to the individual’s pronation pattern.

    • Advises on footwear features for your pronation type.Item description

    • Often have analysis tools to evaluate the stride and pronation type and match this with appropriate footwear.

    • Helps translate clinical recommendations into practical shoe choices.

    • Ensures shoes fit both foot shape and orthotics properly.

    • Offers brand and model options that support alignment goals (for example you may need cushioning or motion control features).

Related resources

  • ‘Walking and Pronation’ (OrthoInfo - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - This short video explains how pronation works and the different pronation types.