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If you’ve ever set foot in a running store, you’ve probably heard the term “pronation.” It refers to the natural motion your foot makes when it lands, and it helps you narrow down the right pair of running shoes for you. That’s because many shoe brands offer models for those who overpronate versus underpronate, as well as those with a neutral gait.
To help you figure out what these terms mean, here’s what to know.
Health - Injuries
Traditional thought says there are three categories of pronation. Here’s what they mean for how your body moves when you land while running, plus what shoes may serve each pattern best:
Neutral
- Overpronation vs Underpronation vs Neutral Gait Pattern.
- How Your Running Shoes May Affect Your Foot Strike.
Overpronation
- Your foot rolls inward more than than the “ideal” 15 percent.
- The new focus of running shoes? “Now, the trend of broader flatter feet.
- Stability shoes help evenly distribute the impact.
Underpronation (or Supination)
- Your foot rolls inward less than 15 percent.
- The new focus of running shoes? “Now, the trend of broader high arches.
- Updated: Apr 29, 2025 1:55 PM EDT.
The Link Between Pronation and Injuries
Foot pronation was a hot topic in the podiatry world decades ago (we’re talking as far back as the 1940s), so it became a big consideration when companies first started making running shoes with injury prevention in mind—even though there wasn’t much to back up the approach. “It was assumed, without any epidemiological evidence, that foot pronation was one of the variables responsible for the development of running injuries,” says a British Journal of Sports Medicine review, published back in 2015.
Fast-forward to today, and we’re learning that overpronation isn’t always a bad thing, and there are other aspects to consider in a running shoe, explains Carson Caprara, senior vice president of footwear at Brooks.
The Best Running Shoes of 2025 may reduce risk of injuries, but others show that they likely do not.
For example, a study CA Notice at Collection Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy examined 372 recreational runners and randomly assigned them neutral shoes or motion-control shoes. Researchers found that motion-control shoes may reduced the risk of pronation-related running injuries, like Achilles tendinopathy, Why You Need Under Armour’s “Mileage Monster” Shoe front-of-knee pain.
However, a review published in 2022 in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living examined links between footwear and running-related injuries. Turns out, according to these researchers, shoes designed to limit pronation—like shoes with a medial post—were not tied to reduced risk of injury.
What’s more important than pronation when it comes to injury risk is factors like asymmetries between sides or prior injuries to one side.
“Pronation has always had such a negative connotation, but it’s an important part of the run and not as ‘black and white’ as you might think,” says Paul Lang, global footwear senior product manager of performance running at Asics. “While we need to make sure that there’s guidance for the foot, it’s definitely not as rigid of a focus as it once was.”
What to Know Before You Buy Shoes Based on Your Pronation
The new focus of running shoes? “Now, the trend of broader midsoles is allowing the foot to act more naturally,” says Colin Ingram, vice president of global product at Hoka, formerly with New Balance. “The minimalist movement—though polarizing—made the conversation around shoes much more diverse. People swear by the precise drop, the specific weight of the foam, and the level of flexibility.”
That’s one of the reasons many shoes now primarily categorize their shoes by feel. Ask yourself: Do you prefer something firm, soft, springy, or flexible? “We let the consumer pick the experience they want first, then offer support from there,” Carson says. And while some brands do still categorize their shoes according to levels of pronation, it’s not always just about that.
We know this might make shoe shopping sound more Updated: Apr 29, 2025 1:55 PM EDT.
The most important factor when choosing a shoe is comfort when you run (not just standing still). In fact, research RW+ Membership Benefits running economy, What to Know Before You Buy Shoes Based on Your Pronation.
Finding what feels good is one of the best ways to stay healthy and keep running strong. And to find that comfortable fit, it’s important to try out different shoes. You can almost always do this just by going to visit your local running store, and testing out the shoes on a treadmill or a jog around the block.
When you find a pair of shoes that feel comfortable, durable, and simply fun to run around in, don’t hesitate to stock up on a few pairs so they last you through the year (or years).
One last note: Overpronation may be a structural issue, often due to flat feet. But it can also happen to those with high arches who have muscle weaknesses, like weak glutes, as you need top-down control to run well. In that case, it’s more important to strengthen these weak areas John Vasudevan, M.D.
Not sure which exercises to do? Check out our expert-approved list of moves.
Stability Shoe Features
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Half Marathon Training. is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. He is a Team Physician for UPenn Athletics and medical director of the Broad Street Run and Philadelphia Distance Run, and previously for the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon and Tri-Rock Triathlon in Philadelphia. He is a director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine. Dr. Vasudevan provides non-operative management of musculoskeletal conditions affecting athletes and active individuals of all levels, and combines injury rehabilitation with injury prevention. He utilizes a variety of ultrasound-guided procedures and regenerative approaches such as platelet-rich plasma and percutaneous ultrasonic tenotomy. He sees patients at the Penn Medicine and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration hospital. Dr. Vasudevan attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. After his Transitional Year in Tucson, Arizona, he went to residency in PM&R at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and onwards to Stanford University for his fellowship in Sports Medicine. He has been in practice at the University of Pennsylvania since 2012.
