High arch and underpronation

[CherryCore]

Dear members of the community! After discarding yet another pair of ground on the outer sole side shoes it finally dawned on me to do some research (as I quickly grind through shoes quite literally since forever, since was a kid) and I'm suspecting I've actually got the rare beast of underpronation.

So questions. Has anyone dealt with it? How to measure for the right insoles: any success doing it by yourself or best to see some kind of specialist, and which one would that be?

Feeling honestly puzzled. Thanks in advance.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate10]

Welcome back! My first port of call would be a local independent running shop. I’ve had the best help choosing trainers from mine and everything they’ve recommended has been great.

[CherryCore Graduate10 in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you haven't posted anything in a while indeed 😳

Over the years I've got my personal go-to chart with shoes. Some runners lasted only around 100km (or under), but on average I get around 500 (+/-100) out of a pair.

Some walking shoes last me only about two months at best, while others can last up to four seasons (!!!). It's mostly soles failing, due to uneven wear.

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

Hi CherryCore. First, it’s good that your pronation and high arches are not causing you any physical problems. I have both too …and my shoe wear is also greater on the outside of the shoe, particularly on the heel. My shoe wear is not as extreme as yours sounds to be though. My latest shoes are about to be retired with 500k on them.

Any foot issues I have had have always been viewed as being caused by my foot turning over too far; it rarely causes me a problem, and it has been labelled over pronation. First stage stability shoes with a high heel drop (12mm) have helped me avoid most of the issues. I use Brooks Adrenaline. My latest pair have 500k on them and their replacements are being walked in now!

I am guessing that you have done the bathroom floor test. My foot print leaves a splodge for the heel and one for the ball of my foot and nothing else! I am guessing yours leaves a line down the outside of your foot too if that is where your foot is landing heavily.

What to do? I did see a podiatrist who had computer which showed exactly how the foot was landing and confirmed my high arches. The fix for the injury I was suffering from at the time came from my physio, who advised that my arches were too high for orthotics to work effectively…. We worked to minimise the over pronation (which for some reason was suddenly a lot worse), we fixed it between us, and I don’t have orthotics.

Nowadays, physio is always my first port of call; but she is a genius 🙂. Your issue does sound to be slightly different to mine though.

[CherryCore Graduate10 in reply to Beachcomber66]

Thank you for such a detailed response! No, I don't have a connecting line between ball and heel, however I grind outer ball area more than heel, especially when running. When I run, I do the front strike, not the heel, but a pair of otherwise well cushioned and reasonably wide in toes Brooks lasted me about 85km, which is a real pity, as they felt quite nice to wear. Rigid Asics are my go-tos (those with extra support like gt line don't seem to make any difference), some pumas can be decent, eccos with transparent sole layers for walking seem lasting well. I can't think whether I've noticed much difference in wear between higher or lower toe to heel drop, but I guess my more common options are rather flatter, so I'll pay more attention next time. I guess I better see a specialist, indeed 😁