Let's not fool ourselves, "home tricks" are there, available to everyone, but when an athlete comes to our sports podiatry office, and tells us that he is a supinator because he has taken the test of: wetting the foot, stepping on the ground and it only leaves the outer part of the foot marked, he knows he is a supinator, I think ... weeellll; or when they tell me that they are supinators because they wear out their shoes on the outside, then I think it is even more intense ...
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Go to the Shoe FinderSo, the statement "I'm a supinator runner!" has a lot of weight, a lot of weight; and let's not even get started on the question: "What kind of running shoe should I buy if I'm a supinator runner?" It gets complicated, and in some cases, excessively so.
What does it mean to be a supinator runner?
A supinator runner is classified as a person who tilts the ankle to the outside of the foot. This is a very simple and easy to understand definition, but the reality is much more complicated. Within being a supinator, there are mild cases and very serious cases.
One thing we must be clear about is that being a supinator is not synonymous with injury (just as being a pronator is not). There are many supinator runners who have never been injured in their lives, and that is partly because there are what I call, natural compensation mechanisms of the body. This means that the body adapts to this way of supporting the foot and creates compensation mechanisms (muscular compensations, bone rotations, reinforcements in the proprioceptive response...) which means that within our "anomaly" we function perfectly and never get injured. Of course, depending on how much we tighten the rope, because these natural compensations (with excessive training or incorrect training, with muscular decompensations or using running shoes that are not adapted to our characteristics, for example) are conducive to the risk of injury multiplying and can be much more serious, so much so that they force us to stop running.
Runners who supinate at heel strike, partial supinators
Without wanting to go into too many technical details that would fill our heads up (if you want to know them I encourage you to have a dynamic biomechanical study done in a center specialized in podiatry with experts in sports biomechanics), just have to tell you that there are few people who are pure supinators; and those who are, I assure you that they are not dedicated to running. The normal thing is that we are partial supinators, since the brain will work to avoid that the support of the foot in race is exclusively done by the external edge of the foot, simply because it knows of the so important risk that running this way poses.
If we divide the phases of running into three parts: heel strike, full foot strike and toe propulsion phase (thinking of a training pace and an average runner... lest the purists come at me with running technique saying that the heel should not be supporting weight, something that we can also discuss a lot), what we find most in the clinic when undergoing biomechanical studies are runners who supinate during the heel strike. That is:
- They can supinate when they support the whole foot.
- But they are great pronators when they propel with their toes.
And from here we can find multiple combinations within the so-called "supinator runners", but as I say, we will hardly find a runner who supinates in the three phases of gait.
What we are seeing in image 1 in a superimposition of images of a runner at 8km/h and we can observe that the red marks where more support is done: heel, external edge of the foot and in the left foot we can observe a red spot belonging to the big toe. This stain is due to the compensation made in the propulsion phase, causing an internal rotation of the whole leg and foot to compensate the supination in the first and second phase of the gait.
Image 2 is the superimposed summary of the supports made by a runner running with running shoes at 16 km/h. As you can see, there are no heel landings and the red spot moves to the outer forefoot area (toes III, IV and V). This runner only complained of muscle overloads when training with a certain sports shoe.
Finally, here is a sequence of images of a top international runner who had never been injured until he changed the sponsor of his running shoes. Notice how he comes in as a great supinator and compensates during support to a frank pronation.
Obligatory parenthesis. These images are property of Luis Enrique Roche and belong to a video from where I have been taking the images that I present to you.
Does the supinator runner need insoles to run more efficiently and comfortably?
My general answer would be NO. Each case would have to be analyzed in order to assess the risk of injury they may have. As I have explained before, it will always be necessary to evaluate different factors that may influence the preventive measures that we should take with that particular runner.
On the other hand, I do recommend using insoles for the supinator runner:
- When they have a history of recent injuries.
- When they have an associated pes cavus or in cases of bowleggedness (like many soccer players).
It is true that, in general, the risk of injury in these runner profiles is very high, but if we make a fantastic insole, and then use a running shoe that is not suitable for this person, using insoles will be useless.
What I do believe in is when we evaluate the whole picture: the runner, the type of training he/she does, the shoes he/she uses and, finally, the need for insoles. This way we are effectively protecting the runner. And of course, there is no such thing as zero risk of injury.
What should we look for when choosing shoes for supinator runners?
We need to look back because a few years ago, we did have running shoes for supinators on the market, with real control elements added to the shoes on the outside of the upper and midsole. But today, as far as I know, there are no such shoes, and it would be easy to design (from here I encourage a CEO of any sports brand that is reading this article and wants to hire me for this project).
However, there are running shoes that can partly compensate our way of running.
The first recommendation I would make is that it should be a shoe with a fairly high degree of torsional strength.
Holding the shoe by the toe and heel and turning both hands in the opposite direction, we will try to twist it from the center.
The greater the degree of supination, the greater the history of injury, the greater the weight, the greater the instability of the terrain on which you are running... the more resistance the shoe must offer to torsion.
- Another recommendation that would be important to consider in the case of runners with different degrees of supination, would be to look for shoes with a large support base of the sole, as designed mainly in training models, brands such as HOKA or New Balance.
- The third detail we should look at is the densities and resilience of the different materials that make up the midsole and outsole. We need materials that do not collapse quickly because the torsion and loads that will suffer these shoes are maximum, so these materials must be much more compact and durable.
- Continuing in this area of the shoe I would also recommend looking at the geometry/design that exists in the midfoot area. This area has the function of stabilizing the knee and ankle in the transition phase from the heel to the forefoot. Here we are interested in a more or less padded design of material so that the whole set: foot-midsole-sole-floor have points of support and nothing is left up in the air.
What we see in these last two images are designs that we would not recommend for supinators.
- I would also recommend that these runners look at the different reinforcements that the upper may have. It wouldn't be a bad thing if the shoe had some kind of fastening system between the eyelet and the sole on the outside, or some element of greater rigidity to resist the stresses that this part of the shoe will suffer (it could be for example the bars of the adidas logo).
- Finally, I would say that nowadays we are seeing cases of supinator runners that deform the shoes on the inside. A concept difficult to explain in a few words, but that has to do with supinator runners with curved legs, and that due to a series of muscular weaknesses causes the impact of running to be transferred quickly and abruptly to the inside of the foot and the shoe.
The following images show the wear and tear of different types of shoes by a supinator runner.
What are the best running shoes for supinator runners?
Let's go with a small list of shoes that can fit supinator runners, and that, of course, we can choose depending on our own needs.
New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Trainer v3
The new New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Trainer v3 has been available from July 2024, a shoe that is characterized by its dynamism and that presents interesting improvements with respect to the previous version to provide it with greater versatility.
New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Trainer v3
New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Trainer v3
ASICS Novablast 5
One of the most complete models for supinators from ASICS is, without a doubt, the Novablast 5, a shoe that maintains the philosophy of the Japanese company, including technologies that provide great cushioning and safety without neglecting stability. A versatile and complete shoe that adapts to a wide range of users and distances. A model that allows us to run at medium and fast paces from short to medium and long distances. Don't miss out on them!
Adidas Supernova Rise 2
The adidas Supernova Rise 2 is a daily training shoe that features Dreamstrike+ foam, a material that provides a great balance between cushioning, dynamism and lightness. A model that is optimal for supinator runners due to its construction, which maintains an updated engineered mesh upper. Overall, a model that feels very comfortable and soft while running.
Nike Pegasus 41
One of the all-terrain models (at least as far as runner profile is concerned) that could not be missing in this list for supinators, was undoubtedly the Nike Pegasus 41, one of the most popular and best-selling shoes of the North American company. This new version presents an evolution that makes it gain more cushioning, all this, in addition, with the presence of sustainable materials. Undoubtedly, a "winning horse" among the most versatile shoes.
HOKA Bondi 9
And landing on HOKA, we could not miss out on the HOKA Bondi 9, a benchmark in maximum cushioning shoes, which will be ideal for those supinator runners who need that extra stability, without losing lightness or dynamism. And we are talking about a model with a pronounced rocker that facilitates the landing-takeoff transition and takes care of the joints in soft runs and controlled paces.
Brooks Ghost Max 2
The new Brooks Ghost Max 2 is now available, one of the most emblematic maximalist models of the North American brand that provides good cushioning and comfort thanks to its high profiles and the new DNA Loft v3 foam in the midsole.
Mizuno Wave Sky 8
The Mizuno Wave Sky 8 is a running shoe that provides a perfect combination of comfort and safety in each of our daily workouts. This new version maintains the essence of previous versions that have gained so much popularity among the lovers of running.
Saucony Triumph 22
The Saucony Triumph 22 is the maximum cushioning shoe from the American brand, a model designed to run with maximum comfort in our daily running workouts and that adapts to a wide profile of runners.
Puma Velocity Nitro 3
The PUMA Velocity Nitro 3 belongs to one of the most popular ranges of the German multinational since it adapts to a wide profile of runners and stands out for its great versatility and a great quality/price ratio.
Under Armour Infinite Pro 2
The Under Armour Infinite Pro 2 is one of the latest innovations of the American brand. We are talking about a model that corresponds to the second version of one of the best-selling running shoes of the company. And it is that this model, also ideal for runners with supinator tread, perfectly combines a quality technical framework with comfort and ecological awareness. Comfort and sustainable development.
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