You would presume that overpronation is the same as a death sentence for runners when you go through many of the running web sites and social media discourse. Anyone might assume it could lead to every one of the overuse injuries which athletes can get and why runners need the specific motion control running shoes or foot supports to fix the problem. This can get talked about in some circles that it is something quite evil which really should be sorted out.
Pronation is a normal motion of the feet in which the ankle rolls inwards and also the arch of the foot flattens. Overpronation is where you can find too much of this natural movement. There is no straightforward specification of what overpronation actually is and what would be considered normal and abnormal. This issue is alleged to cause a dysfunctional running biomechanics, and so more effort is necessary to run. It is also said that a foot which overpronates can result in all kinds of problems from hallux valgus to plantar fasciitis to hip overuse injuries. For that reason runners who do overpronate are actually strongly encouraged to make use of foot orthotics to support the foot and make use of the supportive running footwear.
In spite of this, there are plenty of stories of runners who can have a large severe type of this that never have issues and can run easily. This has ended in remarks that this entire idea around overpronation is a delusion and is not really a problem. They claim it really is made up by those who make money using foot supports and running footwear.
However, should you go through the real research evidence, then yes overpronation (however you want to determine it) is an issue in running. The meta-analyses and systematic reviews of all of the research prove that this is a small risk factor for problems in runners, however that risk is still statistically significant. Because of this overpronation is a problem is athletes however it is most likely not as big a problem that it was considered previously.