Pes cavus is a difficult problem to manage in runners, especially the fit of footwear. Pes cavus is when the arch of the foot is very high and the foot underpronates, or rolls outwards at the ankle joint. This is the opposite problem of the more common overpronation that all the running website and magazine write about. A Pes cavus foot tends to be a foot that has poor shock absorption and needs more cushioning in the running shoe. The other issue with pes cavus is the higher arch profile tends to have a ‘hump’ over the top of the foot, which makes the fitting of a running shoe problematic and the lacing pattern may need to be changed to avoid irritation.
