Please Help re: Creating arches for flat feet

John Murphy,

Thank you very much for your reply - this has pleased me a lot to know that I can run and play wearing the insteps and (after a while) not notice they are there.

Looks like I will be able to play football next season after all!!

Thanks again,

Stephen Dow

The other thing I would incorporate into your training is some barefoot running on some grass at a park. I am flat footed and get terrible aches in my lower limbs. I started to split half of my time running barefoot and it has strengthened all of my muscles in my legs and feet. I still need the orthotics when I run in shoes but the barefoot running has made a huge difference for me.

Mike

Some good links on going barefoot: (they may seem a bit over-the-top, but there is some good science here, and several of these articles are written by podiatrists, so just keep an open mind, and then you are welcome to try to dig up some conflicting viewpoints -- post back here if you find any)

http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/pfrossi2.htm (Why Shoes Make "Normal" Gait Impossible, By William A. Rossi, D.P.M.)

http://www.barefooters.org/key-works/case_for/3.health.html (A Case for Bare Feet, Section 3: Health. See 3.4 in particular for the disadvantages of only training in shoes)

http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/toysaw.htm (Take Off Your Shoes and Walk
by Simon J. Wikler D.S.C.)

http://www.barefooters.org/medicine/ (excerpts from published papers in medical journals)

http://www.barefooters.org/faq/ (Barefoot FAQ)

There are many different forms of exercise that can be done to rebuild arches, but the problem usually relates to our poor foot habbits, in the sense that we weren't designed to be walking in shoes and on flat surfaces.

The best system I have seen so far is a Canadian company called barefoot science that produces an orthotic that seems to rebuild the medial and transverse arch. It does this quite effectively through noxious stimulus. The only down side to them so far is that they tend to overload the higher CNS centres with nociceptive input that sometimes creates other problems initially and they tend to not create any change within the lateral arch, sometimes even making it worse.

I would suggest starting with a rehab system (such as the aforementioned, or a specific exercise program) and then have fully flexible orthotics created that provide support to all 3 arches. Flexibility is important to allow maximum proprioceptive input into the feet. For this reason, they should also have as minimal amount of shock absorption as possible.

http://www.teamdoctors.org/english/Articles_Foot_Pronation_Biomechanics_Aging_Process_Dr_James_Stoxen.htm