Supination for Dummies

Supination is a word that describes a specific movement that our body can do. Imagine you are holding a bowl of soup and you want to drink it. What do you do? You turn your hand to bring the bowl close to your mouth, right? Well, that movement is called supination. It's when you turn your hand or foot so that the palm of your hand or the sole of your foot faces upward.

Let's take your hand as an example. When you bend your elbow and rotate your forearm, your hand goes from a position where the palm is facing down to a position where the palm is facing up. This is called supination. It's like turning a doorknob to open a door or twisting a screwdriver to tighten a screw. Your hand or foot can also go back to its original position, where the palm or sole faces down again. This movement is called pronation.

So, supination is the action of rotating your hand or foot so that the palm or sole faces upward. It's like turning a key in a lock to open a door. When you want to show something in your hand to someone, you might supinate your arm to bring your palm facing upwards. Similarly, when you want to wear a pair of shoes, you might supinate your foot to slide it in more easily.

Supination can also refer to a specific movement of the foot while running or walking. Have you ever noticed how some people seem to walk or run on the outer edges of their feet? That's because they have a tendency to supinate their feet. This can be because of the way their bones and joints are shaped, or sometimes it's due to muscle imbalances. It's kind of like walking on the sides of a banana instead of the flat bottom.

So, in summary, supination means rotating your hand or foot so that the palm or sole faces upward. It's like turning a key in a lock or twisting a screwdriver. It can also refer to a specific way of walking or running where the feet roll outward.