Flat Foot
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fitnesszone
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That sound painful. Does it works?
hermanchauw
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If it doesn't work we won't recommend you. 
crandfs
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Try changing your everyday shoes. Try anything between sports shoes to totally flat until you find something that works. I switched from SAF NB shoes to flat converse type of shoes and felt much better. Especially no more ache in my foot archs
deheuty
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Please do not give misguided advice to others that might worsen the problem. I am flat-footed too. Flat-footedness is not something you can 'cure' by strengthening exercise.
If you are suffering problems from this (sprains, inflammation of your arch etc..) then seek a podiatrist for help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatry
You might need to wear a customised sole insert to support your non-existent arch so that you would not strain it further from prolonged standing or walking/running. Straining your arch hurts like hell, you will have difficulty even standing - I know, it happened to me before.
And if you lift weights, proper footwear for support is important. Do not do it barefooted bcos this strains it even more.
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Contrary to what you think, flat-footedness is something that can be "cured", especially if the condition is non-hereditary but rather caused by disuse, misuse, and aging.
http://www.americaspodiatrist.com/2010/11/can-barefoot-running-walking-fix-flat-feet/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/flat-feet-treatment/
http://www.runnersworld.com/communi...s/barefoot-running/barefoot-running-flat-feet
http://www.livestrong.com/article/326890-flat-feet-strengthening-exercises/
http://www.indmedica.com/journals.php?journalid=10&issueid=99&articleid=1327&action=article
http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_on...juries/low_arches_and_the_problems_they_cause
http://traineradvice.blogspot.com/2008/04/orthotics-inhibit-growing-calves.html
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Well it's unfortunate that the medical industry makes us so dependent on them that we think that we cannot improve our own genetic conditions. I used to have flat feet with no arches (even without weight on foot). These days I know how to engage my arches and I train barefoot for muay thai. I have idiopathic scoloiosis too and I have fixed that too under a care from an oesteopath. (took me 2 years however)
While I might never succeed at high impact sports at an elite level, I have a much greater participation than I could never have had. Using orthotics is not the answer. It's akin to saying if someone can't keep an upright posture, you tie him to a pole. Sure, the use or orthotics is to improve the posture so that when you remove the orthotics you have a better sense of what good posture is and naturally your walking gait will improve if you engage your glutes and arches.
If you put your entire weight on the orthotics and walk like your life depends on it, your problems might be alleviated for low impact daily activities like walking etc but it would do little if you play full court basketball with orthotics. If you can do single leg work like steps ups, single leg box squats, lunge variations with good movement quality, that will go a long way in allowing your arches to engage and for the legs in general to absorb shock via the muscles rather than joints.
Also footwear with sufficient toe box is extremely important for flat footers as we have wider feet. The toes need to spread upon impact and not cramped up in some pointy shoe.
New balance, merrells, altra running have shoes with bigger toe boxes for the fee to engage the ground more 'naturally'.
I'm not going to mince my words - please do not post if u do not know anything other than what you get fr the Singapore medical community or what you have read from the mainstream media, most of which are outdated and misinformed.
What Gala has just described is a combination of self mysofascial release, mobization & activation work - stuff that sports specialists in Singapore know crap about. I can tell you 1st hand the nos of so called top sports orthopedic surgeons who don't believe in these highly effective protocols. How do I know? I've spent thousands a few years back seeking treatment from them for some very simple injuries sustained thru' resistance training. In the end, a very experienced PT cum rehab therapist diagnosed my issues & rehabbed me what these so called experts didn't even know how to diagnose.
Anything from the mainstream media or the medical community in general regarding chronic injuries or conditions, take it with a large pinch of salt - they are uninformed & am not plugged into practical & workable rehab protocols.
Ask them if they have heard of Ian King, Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, Mike Boyle & other renowned coaches cum rehab guys & they will probably give you a blank stare. I even asked a sports physician once to assess my (then) injuries using Gray Cook's Movement Assessment Screen & he didn't know what it was.
The medical community in Singapore is only about drugs, surgeries & "medical" aids, period. Go to them only if you are sick & really need drugs/medication or for your annual check-up.
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To be fair, there may be a tiiiiiny chance that he didn't know what it was because the actual name of Gray Cook's screen/assessment is Functional Movement Screen(FMS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment(SFMA)
I once told my physiotherapist that I was doing SMFR and mulligan's technique, and he was like, huh? Why are you doing that?
To be fair, there may be a tiiiiiny chance that he didn't know what it was because the actual name of Gray Cook's screen/assessment is Functional Movement Screen(FMS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment(SFMA)
I once told my physiotherapist that I was doing SMFR and mulligan's technique, and he was like, huh? Why are you doing that?
good point!
I know where u are coming from Goi - the guy at Core Concepts that I went to see: told him I was SMFR, glute activation & ankle mobility drills & he actually asked me what glute activation & ankle mobility drills were..
I then asked him if he was certified in ART, Trigenics & he told me blankly: never heard of those...
and of course he didnt believe in trigger point therapy either...
我猜我猜我猜猜猜
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Go see specialist or go make a insole for your foot
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Tons...usually involves you standing a few inches away from the wall, and then bending your knee one at a time to try to touch the wall for a dozen repetitions or so.
Don't forget to release the calves and stretch them before mobilization. Generally the order is release, lengthen, mobilize, activate.
deheuty
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Then also do not post if all you know is to perpetuate your cynical beliefs about anything 'mainstream' and 'medical'. I am not in this for a pissing match with you.
So I guess you personally have extensive experience with this condition or have successfully treated numerous people with such conditions to come tell us this on the forum? Or perhaps Gala can tell us of his experience with this condition in terms of his personal affliction or treatment success/experience?
Practitioners in any professional are never perfect. There are always good and bad practitioners in any field. This is true not just for medical practitioners but physical trainers and physiotherapists as well. It is myopic to generalize to EVERYONE in a field based on some bad eggs. My podiatrist aided me well and until now, I have no recurring major problems. With some modifications, I can do all the things other people can as well - gym, jog, take walks. So what is the issue here? Your personal vendetta against medical practitioners versus my success story with one for a relevant medical condition?
Flat-footedness also differs in severity from individual to individual. Can you be so certain that a single solution any one of us here advocates will help or worsen the situation for the OP? All I am advising is that the OP seeks someone who is TRAINED and EXPERIENCED in such matters. Is that bad advice? Unless you are telling me Gala is that expert. Okay, then I admit my mistake and we all should listen to him...? Or listen to you?
Deheuty, I can see where you're coming from. I can also see where gkhchay is coming from. Gala made some very general and safe suggestions for relieving some footpain and perhaps you ruffled some feathers when you 'accused' gala of being 'misguided'. Anyway let's put this aside and look at the objectives of any said therapy.
The argument should be do athletes need a certain type of medical specialist while non athletes need more 'conventional' treatment?
Let me elaborate:
Athletes are generally more motivated to 'fix' their conditions. They would religiously work on rehab (assuming they are serious about their sport) and many things can be overcome. There are many successful flat footed athletes - Charles Barkley is one of them.
However, if you take the average 50 year old, slightly overweight and with collapsed arches plus totally unmotivated to eat right and exercise then you have a different challenge. That's where orthotics and medication will need to come in.
Which is the better approach? Of course self healing. But when the issue at hand is to alleviate pain and slow down further degeneration for the average clueless, unmotivated folk then the medical community has 'no choice' but to prescribe medication, braces, orthotics etc. The average person out there wants short term results.
I started off with orthotics too and it helped me improve my walking gait. I re-learnt how to walk to the point that it felt like the orthotics weren't there.
That's when I took them off. There's value in both approaches and which is right depends on the individual seeking treatment. I think many doctors do intuitively believe in 'self healing' but given the general public it's hard to counsel and motivate them to do so. Getting someone to get off soft drinks is already so damn hard
As gkhchay has pointed out, the medical community in general lacks expertise when it comes to treating athletes and I agree. Perhaps that's why there are osteopaths, chiros, TCMs, the Aldrins's and Herman's etc etc. There is actually no lack of choice, just lack of knowledge and a lack of confidence in embarking on a different approach.
KC
deheuty
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I will clarify why I said Gala's suggestions were misguided. Firstly, we do not really know the true condition(s) for the OP and I think we can safely say, none of us here are experts in this. So who are we to advise on what the OP should or should not do? What if the OP's arch (like mine) were inflammed? Do you know how much rolling on a golf ball would hurt for that? Or what if there is a stress fracture? We simply do not know. We are literally giving advice based on our very little knowledge of this particular subject matter (flat footedness) and background of the OP. Go look back on the OP's initial post - how long and how detailed was it??
Being motivated to do anything often isn't enough. That's why there are hosts of people who specialized in everything. As much as we don't like it, knowledge and skills are increasing at such an exponential rate that none of us can be an expert in everything. So we often leave it to the experts who are not ourselves. Like, we want to lose weight but we don't know how to systematically do this or don't have time to 'research' for this, so we look for a good PT. I guess there are numerous PTs here too and what they are doing (i.e., offering a professional service) is no different from a medical practitioner's. Different professionals are trained to deal with different things.
There is no harm seeking a good (by recommendation or otherwise) medical professional's opinion on this. One still has a choice, like you, to take the advice or not unless your situation is life-threatening. But to generalize that all medical practitioners are ignorant, selfish, and money-minded professionals who just don't give a damn about their patients is unjust and wrong. I am grateful for mine and am not afraid to give credit where it is due.
I don't see why PTs cannot work together with medical practitioners to HELP people together. Isn't this a better solution? The medical practitioner feedbacks to the PT and the PT does the same to the medical practitioner and both works to help the patient/client. Isn't this a better deal than just spending time dissing medical practitioners?
Ok maybe my words were too strong for asking u not to post - for that I apologize.
That having said, I still won't mince my words - my personal experience as well as Gala's - is that the medical community in Singapore is decades behind rehabbing people with conditions that TS has + many others.
Let me give you another personal example - a few mths back, my sis-in-law (in her 40s) had v bad knee issues to the point where she could hardly walk. She went to see a supposedly top notch orthopedic surgeon who recommended surgery. I told her to seek a 2nd opinion since she didn't want to go under the knife (who does?). I introduced her to my rehab therapist. To make a long story short, after 3 mths, she's able to walk & even squat w/o pain at all.. now u tell me who's the expert here? The highly qualified top notch orthopedic surgeon or the very experienced rehab therapist?
For myself at 54 yrs young, I was told by the many sports specialists, orthopedic surgeons that I had a bad case of athritis on my right knee when I consulted them 4 yrs back when I sustained the injury. Now I can do 6 - 7 sets of pistols (1-leg squats) with my right leg after being rehabbed in record time by my rehab therapist. Athritis?? Bullsh1t...
And do u know why the medical community seldom if ever prescribes natural cures? Answer is very simple - money & loads of it especially when so many clinical studies are sponsored by drug-making multinationals...
let me give you another personal example - my own brother in his late 40s were on statins prescribed to him by his doctor. I told him the dangers of using statins & to stop taking them, gave him a bottle each of fish oil & Co enzyme CoQ10, told him to take at least 10 caps of fish + 200 mg of CoQ10 per day, then go for his cholesterol test after 2 mths. Guess what - after 2 mths his cholesterol was in the healthy range; after that he never touched statins again.
If u know how much bullsh1t there is in the medical community & industry cos of the economic gains, u will be shocked.
I was also pretty naive about such things until I learned them myself reading up & most importantly having gone thru' or should I say, paid thru', to learn how unenlightened the Singapore medical community is...
That having said, I'm also not saying that all rehab therapists know their stuff. I was just very lucky to have been introduced to one who does. Most of the physiotherapists are good for rehabbing the sedentary layperson who knows nothing much about the truth regarding keeping healthy & fit.
And BTW, this 54 yr old uncle still does pull-ups with weights & training intensely 3 times a week...
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If you had any issues with my original post, then addressing them point by point rather than immediately accusing me of being misguided might be a better approach.
Sure, my methods will not work for everyone. But it's a general guide that's meant to get someone started in the right direction, and is generally safe. There are always conditions where certain exercises are contraindicated. I never claimed that what I proposed in those 3 lines will miraculously cure anyone with flat feet - but they are a rather safe start. If everyone has to consider all cases before suggesting plans of action, this forum would never get anywhere. If one asks "how should I lose weight", and I answer with "try eating less overall and increasing your physical activity", who knows, the person may have medical condition where those suggestions are contraindicated. But generally, it's safe advice for the majority of the population.
Contrary to this, your original reply to me states emphatically that "Flat-footedness is not something you can 'cure' by strengthening exercise." which, from the links that I've posted and from others here who have shared their own anecdotal data, is patently wrong. In fact, many cases of flat feet can and should be improved by release, stretching, mobilizing and strengthening exercises - things that the mainstream medical community is rather ignorant about unfortunately. You fail to recognize this point based on your N=1 sample size of yourself in your own experience.
I personally do not suffer from flat feet, though I do have a collapsed arch when weight bearing, along with a L5-S1 hernia, things which I am managing with a healthy dose of release, stretching, mobilization and strengthening - things that orthos, sports doctors and physiotherapists have failed to help me with over the last few years, and have pretty much told me to just live with it. If I'd listened to them, I wouldn't be still lifting over the last few years and won a gold medal while doing it.
So basically, you can either choose to live with orthotics for the rest of your life, or decide that maybe there's a better way to fix, or at least greatly improve the problem. As the saying goes, pick your poison.
Sure, my methods will not work for everyone. But it's a general guide that's meant to get someone started in the right direction, and is generally safe. There are always conditions where certain exercises are contraindicated. I never claimed that what I proposed in those 3 lines will miraculously cure anyone with flat feet - but they are a rather safe start. If everyone has to consider all cases before suggesting plans of action, this forum would never get anywhere. If one asks "how should I lose weight", and I answer with "try eating less overall and increasing your physical activity", who knows, the person may have medical condition where those suggestions are contraindicated. But generally, it's safe advice for the majority of the population.
Contrary to this, your original reply to me states emphatically that "Flat-footedness is not something you can 'cure' by strengthening exercise." which, from the links that I've posted and from others here who have shared their own anecdotal data, is patently wrong. In fact, many cases of flat feet can and should be improved by release, stretching, mobilizing and strengthening exercises - things that the mainstream medical community is rather ignorant about unfortunately. You fail to recognize this point based on your N=1 sample size of yourself in your own experience.
I personally do not suffer from flat feet, though I do have a collapsed arch when weight bearing, along with a L5-S1 hernia, things which I am managing with a healthy dose of release, stretching, mobilization and strengthening - things that orthos, sports doctors and physiotherapists have failed to help me with over the last few years, and have pretty much told me to just live with it. If I'd listened to them, I wouldn't be still lifting over the last few years and won a gold medal while doing it.
So basically, you can either choose to live with orthotics for the rest of your life, or decide that maybe there's a better way to fix, or at least greatly improve the problem. As the saying goes, pick your poison.
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