Often, when the subject of flat feet is discussed in general people dismiss it as not much of a health issue at all. An inconvenience maybe, if you are shopping for shoes, and for some an issue when playing sports or taking part in other physical activities in terms of pain but not something that many people – even those who know they have flat feet – take all that seriously.
That, however, can be a big mistake. While advances in supportive insole and footwear technology – as well as foot medicine in general – mean that flat feet are no longer the bar to certain physical activities they were once thought to be – if the problem is never properly addressed then they cannot be of any help at all.
It’s also important to realize that having flat feet can cause more problems than you might think. And that’s what we’d like to discuss today, the problems, injuries, and complications that can arise from having flat feet and what can be done to help prevent and/or treat them.
What are Flat Feet Anyway?
Flat feet – sometimes also known as ‘having fallen arches’ – in very basic terms means, as the name suggests, when your feet touch the ground, when you stand, walk or run, they make contact with it completely. The arch that other people have that raises the foot slightly and provides a large measure of shock absorption and bodily stability is simply not there.
What Causes Flat Feet?
People have flat feet for a number of different reasons. Everyone is actually born with flat feet, but arches are supposed to develop as a child learns to walk and their feet become accustomed to holding their body weight. But sometimes, often for genetic reasons, this just does not happen, and a person grows up flat-footed from the start.
For others, flat feet develop as they age (thus the term fallen arches) The arches are supported by a fairly complex network of tendons and muscles and if these weaken, or are damaged, natural arches can ‘fall’, resulting in flat feet.
Weight gain can also be a complicating factor when it comes to flat feet. The feet have a very important job to do at all times; balance your body. When standing forces of up to 150% of a person’s body weight can press down on them, which is quite the load. If the feet are dealing with more weight than usual this can damage the arches and flatten the feet.
The Possible Complications of Flat Feet That Go Beyond the Feet
General foot pain, while not inevitable if you have flat feet, is very common. This pain may be centered around the arch area (where the real problems lie) or it may radiate throughout the length of the foot. It often gets worse after walking or running and those who have to stand for long periods of time also often end their day with tired, achy feet.
However, it is not just the feet that can be affected by the lack of an arch. Once your arches have fallen – or if you never really had any in the first place – you do become susceptible to a fairly lengthy list of other health problems. Here’s a look at some of the most common.
Plantar Fasciitis
If you are a sports fan you may hear this term rather often when your favorite teams or players are being discussed as plantar fasciitis is a very common sports injury. It is also very commonly found in those with flat feet, whether they are athletes or not.
Everyone’s body contains fibrous bands of tough tissue that help string their complex nerves of bones together. These are called ligaments. And of the many ligaments in your body, one of the most important in your feet is a longish ligament known as the plantar fascia.
This ligament stretches from the base of your heel bone to the end of your toes. It is there to help your foot maintain a natural, flexible shape and to support the arch in the center of the foot. It is also ideally nice and elastic so that when you run or walk it stretches slightly with each movement to provide natural shock absorption.
Note that we said ideally. Sometimes the plantar fascia fails, and it begins to swell and tighten. This tightness causes pain and stiffness, especially at the heel. This is known as plantar fasciitis.
Once the condition takes hold it usually manifests itself as a stabbing pain in the heel. The pain often gets worse as you walk and will improve slightly when you rest and get off your feet. Even then though, if you sit too long the ligament can tighten even further and still cause pain, even though you are not walking on your ‘bad foot’. The condition can also result in a tear in the ligament, something that may require surgery.
While you do not have to be flat footed to suffer from plantar fasciitis many who are do. Because the arch is not present, the strain on the plantar fascia can simply become too much for it to handle. As this is basically an overuse injury if your flat feet are not properly supported plantar fasciitis is an issue that can keep reoccurring over and over again, even if you find that it can be temporarily fixed by a period of enforced rest.
Achilles Tendonitis
Staying on the subject of the heel area of the foot, Achilles Tendonitis is another condition that can affect those with flat feet. Most people do have a vague notion (at least) of where their Achilles Tendon is thanks to the old Greek myth. In that, a hugely powerful warrior, Achilles, was considered all but indestructible. Except he did have one weakness, the tendon at the back of his ankle. Hit that with an arrow and he was a goner (which is, of course how his story ends.)
Few people today would suffer such a dramatic fate, but Achilles Tendonitis can be very painful and quite debilitating. The Achilles tendon is responsible for much of the general movement in the foot, so if it becomes inflamed or damaged the effect, both in terms of pain and the restriction of foot movement, can be quite serious.
Although Achilles Tendonitis can affect anyone – especially athletes – those with flat feet can be more prone to it once again because of that lack of an arch. The shock absorption and ‘lift’ the arch is supposed to supply takes some of the ‘workload’ off the Achilles tendon, helping to keep it supple and elastic. If there’s no arch, that help isn’t there and the overworked tension is far more easily weakened and damaged.
Shin Splints
Most athletes at all levels – especially those who run – will, at some point, experience the pain of shin splints.
It’s an easy to recognize pain, one that athletes dread. As they move pain radiates up across the front of the lower legs, usually only increasing in severity as they move. This slows a person down, obviously makes it far more difficult for them to run or walk (or even move)
Shin splints are simply the physical manifestation of inflamed tissues around the shin bones. If a person rests and observes the RICE treatment for a while (that’s rest, ice, compression, and elevation) the pain usually subsides relatively quickly, but unless the underlying cause of the tendon inflammation is addressed it’s quite likely that it won’t be too long before the pain is back again.
In athletes, shin splints can be caused by overtraining and/or generally poor form. In those with flat feet once again that lack of arch is a part of the problem. The lower legs are asked to do a lot when a person runs – or even walks – and without the shock absorption and proper distribution of weight that a natural arch is supposed to provide overworking those tendons in the shin area is very easy to do.
Hip and Lower Back Pain
Hip pain can also sometimes be attributed, in part at least, to flat feet. As those who are flat footed do not have a gait that is as well-aligned or stable as those who do have a natural arch to their foot this can result in the kind of nagging hip pain that is often attributed (wrongly) to something else. The same can be true of some forms of lower back pain. It’s something of a knock-on effect. The problems caused by flat feet can travel up the body (quite literally) and become an everyday nuisance or worse.
Treating Problem Flat Feet
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the wider health problems having flat feet can cause you are no doubt wondering about the best way for flat feet to be treated so that these additional problems can be prevented from occurring.
The simple fact is that there is no ‘cure’ for flat feet. There is no magic pill or ‘exercise hack’ that can grow new perfectly adequate arches where none exist. There are, however, a number of things that can really help minimize the effect they have on your body and your quality of life. Some of the most effective include the following:
– Supportive Insoles and Footwear
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the wider health problems having flat feet can cause you are no doubt wondering about the best way for flat feet to be treated so that these additional problems can be prevented from occurring.
The simple fact is that there is no ‘cure’ for flat feet. There is no magic pill or ‘exercise hack’ that can grow new perfectly adequate arches where none exist. There are, however, a number of things that can really help minimize the effect they have on your body and your quality of life. Some of the most effective include the following:
– Foot Exercises
As we mentioned previously, some people do not develop fallen arches until later in life, often due to the fact that the muscles and tendons that are supposed to support the arches have weakened or loosened. For these people, some very simple foot exercises can prove helpful, as can taking up a disciplined exercise regime like yoga or Pilates.
– General Vigilance
Once you determine you have flat feet, general vigilance might be the biggest key of all to maintaining foot health and preventing some of the problems we have been discussing here. If a pair of shoes just don’t fit right or offer no support at all, don’t wear them. No shoe is so pretty or cool that it is worth sacrificing your health and comfort for. And the fact is that there are some great looking supportive shoes of all kinds out there. It may take a little longer to find them, but the effort will be well worth it.
And finally, if conservative treatment measures don’t seem to be helping, go and see a medical professional to get more help. It’s not being wimpy or over-cautious to do so, it is just (quite sensibly) being vested in maintaining good health.
