Best Shoes for Supination
You’ve seen it before. That familiar loss of tread right along the outer edge of your shoes—pair after pair. The inner sole is nearly spotless while the outer edge is, well, struggling.
This tell-tale wear pattern could be a signal of leaning too far on the outer edge of your foot while walking—or supination. If left untreated, supination can cause a ripple effect of foot and body pain, including plantar fasciitis, ankle injury, hip and back pain, and shin splints.
Supination shoes can help neutralize your gait and establish a healthier stride over time. KURU footwear features our patented technology that helps alleviate the symptoms of supination and deliver heat-molded cushioning and support where you need it—whether you walk or run.
What is Supination?
In short, supination is an underpronated ankle. It occurs when an ankle rolls (or pronates) outward more than it should while walking, resulting in increased weight distribution on the outer edge of the foot.
While overpronation happens when the ankle rolls inward too much, underpronation—or supination—happens when the ankle rolls outward too much.
For a quick and easy supination memory tool, think of the “bowl-of-soup” shape an ankle makes during supination. We gotchu.
If you have supination, you might experience pain in your feet, ankles, knees, or hips due to the uneven weight distribution on your foot. To combat this, there are various exercises and stretches you can do to help correct your supination, including a toe extension and arch stretch. In the video below, we’ll demonstrate how to properly perform this stretch to improve your foot alignment and alleviate pain associated with supination.
Most Common Causes & Risk Factors
Poor biomechanics of the foot = poor biomechanics of the body.
On its own, supination might not seem very serious, but if left untreated, it can contribute to a host of foot problems, including an increased risk for ankle injury, shin splints, hip and back pain, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, calluses and tailor bunions.
- Naturally High Arches
- Muscle Imbalance or Instability in the Ankle Joint
- Improper Footwear
- Genetic Predisposition
Symptoms & Diagnosis
As with any medical condition, it is always best to make an appointment with your doctor to get a formal assessment and diagnosis of supination.
That said, there are a few common symptoms people experience when suffering from supination that might help you know when it’s time to visit the doctor:
- Uneven wear on the outer edge of your shoes
- Achilles tendon, hip, back, or knee pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Consistent ankle sprains
- Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) —or shin splints
- Reduced ability for your foot to absorb shock
Your doctor will be able to provide the best pathway forward for treating your unique case. For a few tips on conservative treatments you can try at home, check out our Supination Treatment section below.
Facts and Stats
We take a look at some facts and stats you might not have known about supination. Read on to find out more!
- Supination is most likely to occur in individuals with high arches.
- A supinating foot will pronate outward at the ankle by about 45–60 degrees, while a neutral foot will pronate inward at the ankle at about 15 percent.
- Supination can cause foot and body pain, including hip and back pain, ankle strain or instability, and shin splints.
- Over-supinated feet can lead to plantar fasciitis in some people groups.
Treatment
If you are experiencing supination, here are a few treatment tips, including insoles, footwear recommendations, and exercises for self treatment.
Neutralizing your ankle’s pronation is key to reducing injury—and the right footwear and exercises can help you get there.
People who experience supination tend to have high arches rather than flat feet, which is why there typically isn’t a great need for flat foot supination shoes.
Instead, the best shoes for supination—women and men alike—feature high-quality arch support, flexibility, and shock-absorbing cushion to help create a supportive structure and promote an even weight distribution.
When you neutralize your foot’s degree of pronation through exercises and wearing good shoes for supination, you can experience a more even wear of your shoe’s tread and, more importantly, a reduced risk of injury.
Tips for Treating Supination:
• Practice rolling through the middle of your foot from heel to toe when walking rather than the outer edge.
• Practice exercises for supination to stretch and strengthen your muscles.
• Wear a high-quality walking or running shoe for supination that includes arch support and shock-absorbing cushion.
• Use podiatrist-recommended shoes for supination, which include footwear with adequate arch support, a wide toe box, and breathable mesh around the upper, just like many KURU shoes.
KURU Footwear offers some of the best shoes for supination and plantar fasciitis. Our three-part technology goes above and beyond traditional inserts to offer unparalleled support and comfort.
FAQs
How do I know if my feet are supinating?
Though your doctor or podiatrist can give you an official diagnosis through a gait analysis, you can perform a couple simple at-home checks to start.
First, look at already worn-in shoes. Footwear that has excessive wear on the outer edge of the sole, but less on the inside, can be a symptom of supination.
Second, get your bare foot wet and step on a dry piece of paper—preferably one that can absorb a bit of water. Your foot likely supinates if you see only a thin line at the outer edge of your foot, or little to no imprint of the middle of your foot.
How do I know which shoe to buy for supination?
The best shoes for supination—for men and women alike—offer adequate arch support and cushion. Whether you’re looking for running shoes, dress shoes, neutral shoes, or flip flops, KURUs line of over-supination shoes help alleviate supination symptoms (including plantar fasciitis!) for all-day pain relief.
How is the arch support of KURU shoes?
KURU shoes deliver excellent arch support without the need for thick inserts or expensive, custom orthotics.
Superior arch support starts with our patented KURUSOLE technology, which delivers natural cushioning and dynamically hugs your heel with every step. Every foot is unique, and our ULTIMATE INSOLES adapt to fit your needs by using your own body heat to custom-mold to the shape of your feet over time.
The corrective nature of our superior arch support is designed to neutralize your weight distribution and place your foot in the best anatomical position. This support can take some getting used to. We suggest slowly breaking in your new shoes over the course of 2–3 weeks.
How is the arch support of KURU shoes?
Some customers experience tenderness when they first start wearing a new pair of KURUs. That’s ok! Your body may need time to adjust to the new levels of anatomical support you experience with our patented KURUSOLE technology. Our shoes are also designed to mold to your unique foot shape, which takes a bit of a break-in period.
To help mitigate this, we suggest you follow our break-in procedure, including wearing your KURUs for a couple hours per day around the house in the first couple of weeks as they break in and form to your foot.
Can I use custom orthotics with KURU shoes?
Due to the anatomical shape of the KURUSOLE, custom orthotics with a rounded heel fit best inside our shoes. If the underside of the custom orthotic (the part that sits on the footbed) is squared off, then it may not fit into our deep heel cup—which is rounded like your foot.
That said, many of our customers tell us the KURUSOLE technology offers better support and stability than they expected, and that they don’t need to wear their custom orthotics with KURU shoes.
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Three Layers of Support
At KURU, we pride ourselves on our unique approach to shoe design. We believe that shoes should be shaped to fit the natural contours of your feet, which is why we create every pair in three distinct support layers, not just an insole.
Our revolutionary ergonomic design starts with a curved footbed and adds unparalleled triple-layer support that includes shock-absorbing KURUCLOUD, heel-cupping KURUSOLE, and arch-supporting ULTIMATE INSOLES. The result? Shoes that are so comfortable you’ll stop thinking about your feet.
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KURUSOLE
Our patented KURUSOLE plate protects and stabilizes the heel and provides dynamic flexion with each step. This plate extends from the …Show More
Our patented KURUSOLE plate protects and stabilizes the heel and provides dynamic flexion with each step. This plate extends from the arch to wrap around the heel—but not under it—to support and leverage your heel’s natural cushioning system: the fat pad.
…Show less - 2
KURUCLOUD
Our base layer, KURUCLOUD, is made of dense EVA foam to diffuse impact with each step. This shock-absorbing, heavenly foundation …Show More
Our base layer, KURUCLOUD, is made of dense EVA foam to diffuse impact with each step. This shock-absorbing, heavenly foundation provides long-lasting comfort even when standing all day or walking on hard surfaces.
…Show less - 3
ULTIMATE INSOLE
Made of 5mm of durable, polyurethane foam, our ULTIMATE INSOLES last longer than traditional thin inserts. The space-age foam supports and adapts to …Show More
Made of 5mm of durable, polyurethane foam, our ULTIMATE INSOLES last longer than traditional thin inserts. The space-age foam supports and adapts to your arch over time to provide you with powerful bounce back and personalized pain relief.
…Show less
KURUSOLE
Our patented KURUSOLE plate protects and stabilizes the heel and provides dynamic flexion with each step. This plate extends from the arch to wrap around the heel—but not under it—to support and leverage your heel’s natural cushioning system: the fat pad.
Our Secret
What makes KURU different? Every KURU shoe comes with built-in patented KURUSOLE tech—a foot health game changer.
While other shoes are flat on the inside, KURUSOLE is shaped like your foot to hug and prevent fatigue and pain.
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