# Exercises for flat feet



## ASC1951 (29 Jul 2010)

Apparently I now have flat feet, particularly the one at the end of my shorter leg. I'm off to the sports clinic next month but in the meantime have a fortnight's holiday when I shall have plenty of time to do targeted exercises. 

Can anyone suggest exercises for strengthening the arches? The physio told me to start with the 'try to pick up a pencil with your toes' one; and I have seen another where you roll your feet slightly outwards and rise to the points, knees straight ahead.

Some of the literature suggests that flat feet can be supported mechanically but not corrected by exercise, which is not a particularly cheery thought.


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## summerdays (29 Jul 2010)

My sister an osteopath told me the pencil one (and one I forgot)... but said it would only help a bit, it couldn't perform miracles in relation to my daughters flat feet. I've got OK arches (though they are getting flatter I think) - but then as a kid I couldn't be bothered to bend over and pick anything up and always picked it up using my toes.


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## Rob3rt (29 Jul 2010)

Have you thought about barefoot running?

Or walking.



Its supposedly very good for strengthening your feet and lower leg muscles by allowing the foot to move naturally to dissipate the shock of putting your feet down, rather than lazily just let your shoes absorb the impact. It will force you onto your forefoot/mid-foot when running rather than heel striking and help build foot strength, but if you decide to give it a go, take it easy at 1st because it zaps your calfs (much worse than cycling).

You can buy shoes that mimic the barefoot experience as closely as possible while saving yourself from glass and sharps etc.


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## ASC1951 (29 Jul 2010)

Rob3rt said:


> Have you thought about barefoot running?



Yes, I have. I was tempted by a pair of Vibram Five Fingers but thought I would wait until the Sports Clinic had had a look at my gait. I'm fairly sure I shall need an orthotic now, to correct the shorter leg, and I'm not sure whether you can put one inside something as thin as that.

They do look good, though. I would want a pair covered in ragged hair.


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## Rob3rt (29 Jul 2010)

ASC1951 said:


> Yes, I have. I was tempted by a pair of Vibram Five Fingers but thought I would wait until the Sports Clinic had had a look at my gait. I'm fairly sure I shall need an orthotic now, to correct the shorter leg, and I'm not sure whether you can put one inside something as thin as that.
> 
> They do look good, though. I would want a pair covered in ragged hair.



Yes I can understand you need to get checked before embarking on this route incase you cause more damage.

You cant put orthotics in a Vibram (Vibram themselves say it defeats the purpose). But you could in a Nike free almost certainly (would defeat the purpose slightly, but you would still have a flexible shoe), or even possibly get a orthotic in a Vivo or Jinga shoe.
http://www.lovethoseshoes.com/


Im looking to get my gait assessed professionally at a sports clinic because I keep getting bouts of what I think is ITB syndrome. I wear Brooks GTS10 running shoes to correct my over-pronation, but my day to day shoes are plimsoles (I like minimal shoes) so Im thinking maybe the lack of support in them is causing the issue and it only seems to show when running because my gait changes (even though its for the better).

Let us know how you get on and Im going to buy some Vibrams (KSO model) as soon as I get paid for short distance speed workouts, I'll post how I find them when I get them.


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## Yellow Fang (29 Jul 2010)

I don't really know enough about it, but I gather flat feet can be caused by too many sprained ankles damaging your ligaments. I don't know whether it's possible to shorten or strengthen ligaments. I've been perusing jingas, vibram five fingers, vivo evos and other bare foot trainers too, but I am suspicious it may just some panacea pursued by desparate joggers trying to keep injury free. There may be something in this bare foot running thing, it being how we naturally evolved to run, but naturally most of us died before we started getting lots of chronic injuries, and we didn't run on pavements neither.


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## montage (29 Jul 2010)

Nothing wrong with insoles in the slightest if you go that way


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## Rob3rt (29 Jul 2010)

Yellow Fang said:


> I don't really know enough about it, but I gather flat feet can be caused by too many sprained ankles damaging your ligaments. I don't know whether it's possible to shorten or strengthen ligaments. I've been perusing jingas, vibram five fingers, vivo evos and other bare foot trainers too, but I am suspicious it may just some panacea pursued by desparate joggers trying to keep injury free. There may be something in this bare foot running thing, it being how we naturally evolved to run, but naturally most of us died before we started getting lots of chronic injuries, and we didn't run on pavements neither.



I'd say, there are plenty of people out there that think going barefoot will correct their poor form and turn them into some epic kenyan marathoner, much like there are plenty of people out there that think having club kit, Garmins and dura-ace equiped bikes will make them ride like the pros. 

But despite this whole hot topic thing around it there are most certainly benefits of barefoot running, try just walking and running accross your living room and notice how your feet land when walking and running, this is how you should land when running wearing running shoes, but the cushioning creates the sensation of walking hence you strike heel 1st, this is poor form and its difficult to correct when wearing running shoes (it requires constant attention, and if you run, you will know how hard it is to keep your mind on something like this when there are lots of other things running through your mind). There are scientific studies to back up the benefits of barefoot running somewhere, I read some stuff referencing them but didnt bother to get the original documents. 

However........... we now run on concrete like you said not grass and dirt, so this creates the need for extra cushioning, hence the running shoes. Its like being stuck between a rock and a hardplace. You need the cushioning to save your body the stress of the concrete, but at the same time, the cushioning creates an un-natural and innefficient gait which causes injury.

Ive run in trainers, plimsoles, dedicated running shoes designed for my gait type (quite a bad over-pronator), and barefoot on grass and IMO barefoot is a great feeling but it absolutelly blitzes your calfs. Im going to try running in Vibrams, and also a pair of lightweight racing flats in the coming months (I only run middle distance so shoudlnt take me too long to transition into being able to make distance in the new shoes) and see how it actually works out for me. Then ill form my opinion on this barefoot running craze!


EDIT: ASC1951: Sorry for going off on one in your thread!


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## ChrisBD (29 Jul 2010)

One option I have found to be fantastic is training using the Pose Method.

My link

I'm no religious exponent of "pose", but I have taken aspects of it and found it works for me. Interesting others mentioned barefoot running.

Pose does not relate solely to running, it is used in tri, cycling etc also but is possably easiest to be "seen" watching someones running style.

As with everuthing; there are those who deride it as hocus pocus and others who preach about it on Sunday; I'm neither but I have found benefit from it. After two ops on both lower legs for compartment syndrome, and a military career cut short as a result (as good as the ops were at getting me on my feet) pose is the only thing that has got me even close to running and up some bloody big mountains since!

If you do look into it, I hope you find it helps as I have; but remember, a bit like a martial art, pose is not a quick fix; its easy to learn some basics and see a benefit (as I have done) but it is a constant learning cycle.


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## Rob3rt (29 Jul 2010)

ChrisBD said:


> One option I have found to be fantastic is training using the Pose Method.
> 
> My link
> 
> ...



I also advocate Pose and ChiRunning methods. If you ignore the cultural aspects and focus simply on the running form its highly beneficial IMO. I train using Matt Fitzgeralds Brain Training for Running cues and combine this with the ChiRunning method and find it very good.


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## ColinJ (29 Jul 2010)

Rob3rt said:


> I'd say, there are plenty of people out there that think going barefoot will correct their poor form and turn them into some epic kenyan marathoner, much like there are plenty of people out there that think having club kit, Garmins and dura-ace equiped bikes will make them ride like the pros.
> 
> But despite this whole hot topic thing around it there are most certainly benefits of barefoot running, try just walking and running accross your living room and notice how your feet land when walking and running, this is how you should land when running wearing running shoes, but the cushioning creates the sensation of walking hence you strike heel 1st, this is poor form and its difficult to correct when wearing running shoes (it requires constant attention, and if you run, you will know how hard it is to keep your mind on something like this when there are lots of other things running through your mind). There are scientific studies to back up the benefits of barefoot running somewhere, I read some stuff referencing them but didnt bother to get the original documents.



I was reading about barefoot running yesterday -  here and here. The idea makes sense to me. I injured my left foot years ago when I ran onto the edge of a pothole and twisted my ankle through nearly 90 degrees. I reckon the thickness of the cushioning on the shoes makes that kind of injury more likely to occur.


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## Rob3rt (29 Jul 2010)

Its very hard to come to a conclusion regarding barefoot running without trying it out IMO, Ive read loads on it being quite a keen runner but am injury prone, and there are just too many conflicting considerations to make an on-paper decision. Hence why I'm going to do an expensive, but thorough test to make a final decision. This will involve running barefoot style, in racing flats and in engineered gait specific running shoes in combination over a series of about 3-4 months.

A couple of examples of these conflicting considerations:

Naturally people are made to run barefoot -> Concrete isnt naturally present on the ground.

Kenyan ultra-marathoners runners often run barefoot -> Most elite runners race in racing flats and train in other engineered running shoes.


There is also the whole, if barefoot is so good, why arent all the major brands jumping all over it arguement, part of this may be that the brands dont want to go back on what they have been telling people for all this time, hence discrediting their opinions and statements of any future progressions and research findings, or maybe its just that barefoot isnt actually better given modern surfaces.


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## Yellow Fang (29 Jul 2010)

Rob3rt said:


> Its very hard to come to a conclusion regarding barefoot running without trying it out IMO, Ive read loads on it being quite a keen runner but am injury prone, and there are just too many conflicting considerations to make an on-paper decision. Hence why I'm going to do an expensive, but thorough test to make a final decision. This will involve running barefoot style, in racing flats and in engineered gait specific running shoes in combination over a series of about 3-4 months.
> 
> A couple of examples of these conflicting considerations:
> 
> ...



It does sound like an expensive experiment. Most of these barefoot trainers aren't cheap. New Vibrams cost over £100 unless you can find them discounted or on e-bay somewhere. Terra Plana Vivo barefoot trainers cost £100. Nike Free shoes and Newton Running shoes all seem somewhat pricier than normal trainers. Not all of them are out-and-out barefoot running shoes; some have some support or are designed to train you to land your feet properly. You can always order a kit and make your own Tahahumara running sandals, which is somewhat cheaper, although they look almost as daft as Vibram Five Fingers. I've almost made my mind up to buy some Jingas, as some are going cheap. They appear to be designed more for capoeira or dancing, but I reckon they'd be alright for short distances. I'm thinking I might try running in them once a week to improve my running style and run in my normal trainers the rest of the time. All this makes me reflect on when I used to wear my football boots for cross countries and trail races. Despite the lack of cushioning, I never felt they did me much harm, apart from the odd blister.


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## Yellow Fang (29 Jul 2010)

I found some foot exercises from an old paper off google scholar titled "The treatment of flat-foot by means of exercise". I was going to pm it you, but I can't pm attachments. It suggests: 


Walking on bare feet on coarse and uneven ground (grass, stubbles and pebbles).
Jumping rope; this improves posture and breathing, strengthens the calf muscles, and raises the arch of the foot.
Use of the so-called "Spitzy ball" (a wooden ball sewed on a straw sole and worn as a sandle).
Towel exercises, which improve both flexion and adduction.


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## Rob3rt (30 Jul 2010)

Yellow Fang said:


> It does sound like an expensive experiment. Most of these barefoot trainers aren't cheap. New Vibrams cost over £100 unless you can find them discounted or on e-bay somewhere. Terra Plana Vivo barefoot trainers cost £100. Nike Free shoes and Newton Running shoes all seem somewhat pricier than normal trainers. Not all of them are out-and-out barefoot running shoes; some have some support or are designed to train you to land your feet properly. You can always order a kit and make your own Tahahumara running sandals, which is somewhat cheaper, although they look almost as daft as Vibram Five Fingers. I've almost made my mind up to buy some Jingas, as some are going cheap. They appear to be designed more for capoeira or dancing, but I reckon they'd be alright for short distances. I'm thinking I might try running in them once a week to improve my running style and run in my normal trainers the rest of the time. All this makes me reflect on when I used to wear my football boots for cross countries and trail races. Despite the lack of cushioning, I never felt they did me much harm, apart from the odd blister.



Most barefoot shoes are between £70-100 yeah.

Vibram KSO's can be had for £90 inc postage, Im not buying the bikila model, they are just jazzed up KSO's with more grip and an inflated price. Nike free's are about £65. The equivalent or even cheaper than a lot of highly engineered running shoes, which usually come to like £70-100 a pop. The Newton shoes are beyond ugly  My Brooks GTS10 were £70 with £15 discount.

Racing flats come in about £50-60. (I need some anyway so this cost doesnt bother me at all )

My experiment will cost about £150 (possibly more now you have alerted me to these sandal kits which im now keen to have a go for fun ) BUT.... I need racing flats anyway, so thats not really a risky investment. And if the Vibram arent suited to me for running, always good for walking and lounging around, creeping people out with the wierd toe pockets 

Yes the Jiga's are made for martial arts and dancing, but you could use them to run, like racing flats, they will wear out fast, but if you wear them once a week or for races, they will last just like racing flats do.


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## ColinJ (30 Jul 2010)

I just found  this article on making sandals from old motor vehicle tyres. I'll have a go next time I see a tyre dumped at the side of the road.


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## montage (30 Jul 2010)

The problem with barefoot running is......drumrole......cross country.
Sod running on all those stoney footpaths in bare feet


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## darkstar (30 Jul 2010)

I've always had flat feet, wore insoles when I was younger, but they did nothing for me. They haven't held me back though, sprinted at county level even though they said it couldn't be done. I've never considered doing anything about it since, not affected me.


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## Fiona N (1 Aug 2010)

montage said:


> The problem with barefoot running is......drumrole......cross country.
> Sod running on all those stoney footpaths in bare feet



That's why Vibram FFs or equivalents are so good - stop you making holes in your feet while forcing you to place your feet with care. They're great on boggy ground too - one of the last runs I did (before unrelated knee injuries caused a halt) was on Black Combe above the west Cumbrian coast. The descent is stony at the top but then crosses a series of flattish boggy sections - it's like running across a mattress and the water cools the feet nicely


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## Paul_iow (1 Aug 2010)

Firstly are you currently having any problems/pain with your feet? Why are you going to see someone about them? If you dont have any pain or problems I would leave them be. Secondly, some people are naturally flat footed. We all come in many shapes and sizes and some have flat feet where as some have highly arched feet, there is no problem with either. For a long time people have considered flat feet as "bad". 

When it comes to exercises there are very few, if any, that will help with developing an arch. It mainly depends on why you have flat feet, were you born like it or have they developed over time/through injury etc?


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## Yellow Fang (6 Aug 2010)

My jingas have arrived  They feel rather like ten pin bowling shoes and are very flexible. I'm eager to try running in them but I'm taking the month off to try and get shot of a recurring calf strain.


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## Rob3rt (7 Aug 2010)

Nice, write back when your start running in them and let me know what they are like!

Im waiting for the review of the VFF Bikila to come out this week (http://blog.fitnessf...s-2011-reviews/) to see if its worth the extra pennies over the KSO then I'll be dropping an order on a pair. Also going to go down sweatshop and try running in some race shoes possibly tomorrow and see if they will suit me, if they do, I'll be buying whatever is the best compomise between fit and minimalism/weight and starting to do a tempo run each week wearing them to break them in and then run the parkrun 5km all out and see how they come out vs my Brooks training shoes which feel pretty big and clumsy since they have lots of support for over-pronation.

I have tried running in plimsoles before, they feel pretty good for short distance but are prone to blisters, and they start to fall apart after about 20 miles.


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## ASC1951 (16 Aug 2010)

Paul_iow said:


> Firstly are you currently having any problems/pain with your feet? Why are you going to see someone about them? If you dont have any pain or problems I would leave them be. Secondly, some people are naturally flat footed. We all come in many shapes and sizes and some have flat feet where as some have highly arched feet, there is no problem with either. For a long time people have considered flat feet as "bad".


As a child and adult both my feet always had a normal arch. I do, though, have one leg slightly longer than the other and over the last four or five years that has distorted my posture and put more weight onto the shorter leg; that ankle now sags inwards and that foot has lost the arch.

I do get knee and toe pain now as well as a bunion on the foot on the shorter leg. It could be arthritis - I'm 60 - but I thought I would check first whether it was a biomechanical problem i.e. treatable rather than degenerative. I do about 500 miles a year road running but my main exercise is cycling.



> When it comes to exercises there are very few, if any, that will help with developing an arch. It mainly depends on why you have flat feet, were you born like it or have they developed over time/through injury etc?.



Developed over time, I reckon, with some help from excess weight. The right foot has a fairly normal arch, although flatter than ten years ago.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Oct 2010)

I've had my jingas for a while, but I haven't run in them much. The first time I ran several miles on a treadmill and got blisters. I also felt something in my achilles. I've used them once or twice for circuits, and they're ok for that. I thought I'd run for a while in my normal trainers for a while until my soles toughened up a bit, but then I hurt my achilles tendon and wasn't able to train for over a month. I don't think the jingas help much with achilles tendonitis, as the websites recommend putting a heel insert into your trainers. I expect this goes for most barefoot trainers.


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## Chutzpah (25 Oct 2010)

My flat feet were picked up by my GP when I was about 13. I went off to see a chiropodist who proudly proclaimed that I have the flattest feet she'd ever seen. And they are literally flat - no arch whatsoever, my ankle literally rolls onto the floor.

I was told that I must have been born that way, and therefore no exercise would improve it. At that time I was having problems with my feet, so I got insoles moulded for my feet (god bless the NHS).

However, I simply don't need them any more and make do without them. No idea why, because my feet are as flat as you like still (yes, I'm sad enough to whip them out every now and then to 'impress' people..... it also helps whenever I'm confronted every now and then with one of those stupid "tell everyone a fact about yourself" icebreakers)


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## rmiker (26 Oct 2010)

I was first diagnosed with flat feet at the age of six. 
Recommended exercises were running/walking on tip toe, skipping and cycling.
I got bought my first bike as part of the treatment.

During my 20s and in the Army, I was prescribed orthopedic insoles.
But didn't feel I needed them so never wore them.

In my mid 40s, I began to get arthritic hip+knee problems.
Rheumatology did X-rays and found uneven wear in joints due to uncorrected flat feet.
Referred to Podiatry for orthopedic insoles.

Now in my mid 60s, I still get Podiatry appointments to update my insoles.

Mike


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## RedBike (26 Oct 2010)

I've been seeing a podiatrist regularly for the last few months. I've become flat footed because of a fractured ankle. The muscles in the ankle are no longer strong enough to support the foot so I've started rolling the foott inwards collapsing the arch. 

None of the exercises i've been given to correct this problem focus on the 'foot'. They all focus on strengthing the muscles within the leg? Nobody has ever mentioned picking up pencils with my toes. 

I've been told that cycling and swimming are both good exercises to strengthen the appropriate muscles but to avoid running or walking on hard surfaces whenever possible? This advice seemingly goes completly against running bare-foot / with Vibram Five Fingers?


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## Yellow Fang (26 Oct 2010)

rmiker said:


> During my 20s and in the Army, I was prescribed orthopedic insoles.



I thought you couldn't get in the army with flat feet. I thought you had to be physically nigh on perfect to get into the army, and used to reject you for quite trivial sounding conditions. I've often wondered why the army didn't like flat feet, as mine are quite flat, and I've run plenty of half marathons, marathons and long trail races. However, I did get a lot of knee injuries, so may be that's part of it.




RedBike said:


> I've been told that cycling and swimming are both good exercises to strengthen the appropriate muscles but to avoid running or walking on hard surfaces whenever possible? This advice seemingly goes completly against running bare-foot / with Vibram Five Fingers?



I'm not sure professional injury treatment specialists such as physiotherapists and podiatrists actually approve of barefoot running. Whenever I look up a web site, they always seem to recommend using orthotics or motion control trainers. May be that's the way they've been trained. I liken it to short-sightedness. Nobody in hunter-gather societies is short-sighted, but put the next generation in a school room and half of them will be. I suspect a lot of foot problems have a lot to do with modern living and footware.


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## NorthernSky (25 Nov 2013)

i've recently been having problems with my right foot. pain in my heel and arch.
comes to light i may have flat feet, or at least lower than normal arches

seeing a physio at the moment but it's early days. may need an orthtic

cycling isn't really my problem at the moment. it's standing for long periods and walking for longer periods
might start the pencil lifting exercise see if it helps


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