Foot pain: biomechanical basics as a guide for assessment and treatment

A large percentage of Americans will likely have a foot problem in their lifetime. Foot pain has a multitude of diagnoses; however, most can be properly diagnosed with a basic understanding of the biomechanics of gait. For pain-free ambulation, human feet go through a series of rotatory motions involving pronation and supination. Pathologic biomechanics are generally divided into excessive pronation or excessive supination. Treatment is often directed at minimizing the pathologic biomechanical forces to assist with pain-free walking.