How to Correct Pronation in Children – Watch Before and After Images and Video!

Have you noticed your child walking or running differently lately? Has your child’s pediatrician, physical or occupational therapist diagnosed your child with overpronation? I always explain to parents that we all have a certain degree of pronation. However, when that pronation becomes excessive (which is referred to as overpronation), that’s when most complications arise and we must take action immediately. Let me show you how to correct pronation in children based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.

The main concern with overpronation is the long-term wear and tear it has on the child’s body joints. Something so simple as providing your child with the correct pair of shoes can prevent long-term problems such as knee, hip, and lower back pain.

What Causes Overpronation? – Find Out What is Causing Your Child to Pronate

The 3 more common reasons why children experience overpronation are:

• Rolled ankles

• Flat Feet

• Low Muscle Tone

A common misconception among parents is to believe that having overpronation automatically means that the child has flat feet. Children with regular/healthy arches can experience overpronation, as it can come from the ankles too.

Don’t Take the “Wait and See Approach” – Be Proactive!

Once the feet are pronated, the knees and hips also become misaligned. This means the muscles that move those joints no longer work efficiently, and it will take more energy for your child to do the same work as other children who don’t have this condition. This may be why your child is more inclined to sit rather than run and play.

Overpronation can lead to your child developing foot issues such as bunions as well as general foot, leg, and lower back pain.

The good news is that we can fix your child’s overpronation without any invasive treatment such as surgery. Certain shoes have proven to be extremely effective when it comes to helping a child with overpronation and parents are amazed at what a difference the correct pair of shoes can make.

Shoes for Kids with Overpronation – Watch Before and After!

Let’s start by taking a look at an image of a child with flat feet that has overpronation.

Before Image: Standing Barefoot

Do you notice how the child’s feet are collapsing and turning inwards?

After Image: Supportive Shoes

Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child wearing a pair of the supportive shoes I recommend. Wow! Do you notice how the feet are a lot straighter? These shoes are going to help the child walk and run straighter, which is going to improve the child’s overall posture as well.

How effective the shoes will be for your child depends on individual foot anatomy and the degree of your child’s overpronation. In some cases, children might require an orthotic to be fitted inside the shoes for additional support. However, I always recommend to start by trying a pair of supportive shoes first and depending on how the child’s walking gait improves or not then we can try a pair of orthotics.

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Before and After -Second Example

Now let’s take a look at an older child who is dealing with overpronation.

Before Image: Standing Barefoot

In this particular case, the child’s feet are also collapsing and turning inwards. The right foot specifically is the one that is leaning inwards the most.

I want to be clear that not all shoes are going to be effective in treating your child’s overpronation. For example, let’s see what happens when we fit that same child in a pair of unsupportive shoes.

After Image: Unsupportive Shoes

The shoes are not supportive enough to prevent the child’s feet from collapsing inwards.

After Image: Supportive Shoes

Now let’s see what happens when we fit that same child in a pair of the supportive shoes I recommend. Pretty amazing, right?  What a difference the correct pair of shoes can make! Do you notice how the right foot is a lot straighter?

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Can You Fix Pronation?

As I mentioned before, pronation is not bad, it’s actually necessary for shock absorption during the gait cycle.

Pronation cannot be fixed, but as I showed you before,  it can be successfully treated by wearing the correct type of shoes.  In certain cases, depending on the degree of your child’s pronation we might need an orthotic as well.

My suggestion to parents is for them to be proactive and don’t wait for this condition to resolve on its own. If left untreated, overpronation can lead to foot, knee. hip, and back pain.

How to Fix Pronation – Watch Video of Before and After!

The video below shows a flat footed child with rolled ankles walking barefoot and then walking with a pair of the supportive shoes I recommend.

Before Video

Over the years I became familiar with the best shoes for children with flat feet, rolled ankles, and low muscle tone.

Best Shoes for Kids with Overpronation 

The shoes below can fit children with medium (M), wide (W), or extra wide (XW) feet. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes, I indicate whether you need to order a half size or a whole size bigger than your child’s current foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

Shoes that come with shoelaces are always more effective compared to shoes that come with an alternative closure, as shoelaces provide better support and stability. Lacing your kids’ shoes and sneakers correctly will provide your child with more ankle support and decrease pain.

These shoes provide the correct amount of support and stability and won’t let your child’s foot/ankle to roll inwards excessively. These are not orthopedic shoes so your child’s muscles continue to do all of the work.

Find Other Shoe Options

If your child happens to have narrow feet please contact me directly and I will email you specific shoe recommendations. My email address is:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com 

Are You Confused About What Shoe Size to Order Online?

If you don’t know your child’s specific foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide) or exact foot length, you won’t be able to order the correct pair of shoes online.

It doesn’t matter how supportive the shoes are, if they are not fitted correctly you will be defeating all of the benefits that the shoes have to offer. That is the reason why I created a different article that helps parents identify their child’s exact foot shape and size from home.

What Makes The Shoes I Recommend Effective for Treating Overpronation?

1️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: This feature helps prevent your child’s ankles from rolling inwards. The heel counter is the back part of the shoes and the firmer it is, the better. Let me show you the difference between a shoe with a firm heel counter versus a shoe with a softer one:

2️⃣ Substantial Outsoles: This feature helps prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards or outwards. A large number of children who overpronate tend to be flat footed, which means the arch collapses when standing and the feet are shifted out of place. Let me show you the difference between a shoe with a substantial outsole versus one with an unsupportive outsole:

3️⃣ Straight Lasts: This feature helps prevent the forefoot from pushing out.

Orthotics for Kids with Overpronation – Extra Ankle and Arch Support!

There will be cases in which the support from the shoes might not be enough to prevent overpronation and improve your child’s walking gait. If you have already tried a pair of supportive shoes and your child’s foot position and walking gait doesn’t improve, then I suggest trying an orthotic inside of the shoes.

Orthotics are basically a supportive insole that provides targeted support to key areas of the foot such as below the arch and the heel. If fitted correctly inside the shoes orthotics can improve your child’s overall posture and decrease pain. While I can’t get into too much detail about the best orthotics for kids with pronation in this article I suggest that you take a look at the article on the best orthotics for pronation.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps – Keeping Children’s Feet Healthy!

Realigning your child’s foot with the correct pair of shoes has many benefits:

• Securing a stronger foundation for your child’s body.

• Improving balance and coordination.

• Preventing present and future foot, knee, and lower back pain.

What I have learned after many years of helping children find the correct pair of shoes for their specific foot condition is that each situation needs to be carefully considered on a case by case basis.

The shoes recommended in this article are the most effective ones for children with overpronation, flat feet, rolled ankles, or low muscle tone. How effective these shoes will be for your child depends on each child’s specific foot anatomy and how severe the child’s foot conditions are.