Foot print

Your footprint can tell you a lot about the health of your feet and the way in which they bear your body's weight.

You can get a rough idea of your footprint by first wetting your feet and then standing on a piece of paper. Alternatively, standing in soft sand or on any other material that leaves an imprint will produce the same effect.

The objective is to get an idea of which parts of your foot make contact with, and consequently support your weight when, you stand, walk and run. By doing this you can get a general "layman's" idea of how your feet are doing.

Once you have the imprint you can then refer to the foot imprint images below for some general guidance on how your feet are working.

1. A normal foot imprint

If the foot is correctly shaped and aligned and the weight is distributed correctly, then the profile to the right should be seen in the imprint.

This kind of shape suggests that the foot has a good arch and that the forefoot (toe area) and heel are connected by an appropriately wide strip that enables them to work together in absorbing shock impacts and transferring the body weight from the back to the front of the foot during motion.

2. A supinated foot imprint

If the foot is shaped like the one illustrated in the imprint to the right, then there is an unusually high arch.

This kind of imprint shape suggests that a high arch (hence minimal contact area between the heel and toes) results in a supinated foot. This is the opposite of pronation and sees the outside of the foot bearing too much weight during walking. This makes absorbing walking or running impacts more difficult and consequently more stressful on the body as a whole.

Supinated feet can generally be aided by well cushioned soles that allow good movement and flexing to encourage the foot to bend.

3. A prontated (flat) foot

If the foot is shaped like the one illustrated in the imprint to the right, then there is an unusually flat arch resulting in over pronation that is often referred to as being flat footed.

This kind of imprint shape is indicative of a foot motion that sees the foot roll inwards as weight bearing takes place. In this instance, the foot alignment to the leg can be seen as angled outwards. Pronation can result in aching feet and legs and can also produce injuries.

Pronated feet can be aided by wearing shoes or insoles that combat the low arches. These shoes can be classified as stability or motion control shoes and they aim to correct the biomechanical movement of the pronated foot.