Exercises for flat feet

[ASC1951]

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.

 

[summerdays]

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.

 

[Rob3rt]

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.

 

[ASC1951]

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.

 

[Rob3rt]

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.

 

[Yellow Fang]

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.

 

[montage]

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

 

[Rob3rt]

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!

 

[ChrisBD]

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.

 

[Rob3rt]

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.

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.

 

[ColinJ]

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.

 

[Rob3rt]

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.

 

[Yellow Fang]

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.

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.

 

[Yellow Fang]

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:

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

 

[Rob3rt]

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.