You might presume that overpronation is the same as a death sentence for runners should you go through a number of the running websites and social media commentary. One might assume it can result in the many overuse injuries that athletes get and the reason why they require the particular motion control athletic shoes or foot orthotics to correct this. This can get talked about in some groups that it is something rather evil which needs to be remedied.
Pronation is a normal motion of the foot where the ankle rolls inwards and the arch of the feet drop. Overpronation occurs when there may be too much of that normal motion. There is no straightforward specification of precisely what overpronation actually is and just what will be perceived as normal or abnormal. This condition is claimed to cause an inefficient running biomechanics, and so a lot more energy is required to run. It is also touted that a foot that overpronates could cause a number of issues from hallux valgus to plantar fasciitis to ankle overuse injuries. For that reason runners who do overpronate are actually highly recommended to use foot orthoses to support the foot and make use of the motion controlling athletic shoes.
Despite this, there are numerous anecdotes of athletes who do have a large serious type of overpronation who never ever get conditions and may run fast. It has triggered claims that the entire concept around overpronation can be a delusion and isn't a real problem. They claim it's invented by those who make income using foot orthotics as well as running footwear.
Having said that, should you consider the real scientific evidence, then yes overpronation (however you wish to define it) is an issue in runners. The meta-analyses and systematic reviews of all the research demonstrate that this is usually a smaller risk factor for problems in athletes, but that risk continues to be statistically important. This means that overpronation is a concern is athletes however its perhaps not as big a problem it has been thought of some time ago.