Understanding Foot Strike: Does It Impact Injury or Performance?

Pronation can be misunderstood as a scary, dangerous risk for injury - and people use that to sell you something. In reality, a certain degree of pronation is a normal part of the running gait. However, excessive or limited pronation can be problematic for some runners. So how do you know if you need to worry about overpronation or buy stability shoes? In episode 171, we take an evidence-based approach and guide you through anatomy and recent research surrounding pronation. Thank you to our sponsors:✨ Good Ranchers: American-grown meat, delivered frozen to your doorstep. Use code IRON for $40 off the first order, or $100 off across the first three orders when customers start a subscription. Plus free protein with every order (choice of burgers, bacon, or chicken breasts). Be sure to mention “Tread Lightly Podcast” for how you heard about the company! https://www.goodranchers.com/In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why pronation is a normal part of a healthy running gait✅ If stability shoes are appropriate for you or not✅ Whether pronation causes an injury or is a symptom of an injury✅ Should you change your running gait?✅ The difference between overstriding and heel striking✅ Should you increase your running cadence?If You Enjoyed this Episode, You May Like:🎧 Can You Run Through Plantar Fasciitis? With Dr. Lisa Mitro (10 October 2025)🎧 Cutting Through Running Shoe BS: Carbon vs Nylon Plates, Heel Drop, and What All the Jargon Means (23 February 2026🎧 Do You Really Need to Change Your Running Form? (15 August 2025)References🔬PMID: 3173344🔬https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01238-y🔬PMID: 38427634🔬PMID: 37285634🔬PMID: 41810458🔬PMID: 29100250🔬 PMID: 31147098Tread Lightly Running is hosted and researched by Amanda Brooks and Laura Norris, MSc. Production, show notes, and graphics by Laura Norris.Let’s stay connected:➡️ Tread Lightly Running Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treadlightlyrunning/➡️ Laura Norris Running on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauranorrisrunning/➡️ Subscribe for weekly evidence-based newsletters, straight to your inbox, on https://lauranorrisrunning.substack.com/➡️ Run to the Finish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runtothefinish/?hl=en➡️ Thousands of running gear reviews and training guides: https://runtothefinish.com/