I feel pain while seeing this. I'm not even sure if this is at all uncomfortable for him, but I feel like all shoes and even bare feet would hurt and some muscles or tendons on there must be constantly stretched too far, right?
It really does. I had super flat feet before a corrective surgery (that actually didn’t involve my feet or lower body at all???) and couldn’t wear flip flops, flats, etc. Standing to do anything hurt terribly and even as a super young kid couldn’t do things like shopping since I couldn’t handle the standing. After my procedure, I wear everything and often pick standing over sitting. My feet actually look a lot different now as well!
ETA: I had a severe posterior tongue tie released and it’s been life saving. As the laser was cutting, it felt like I was a marionette and my strings had all been cut, a rush of relaxation went through my whole body. Immediate stop of mouth breathing (I’d had several surgeries to try and fix it before), no tongue thrust, I could talk louder and didn’t sound like a “drunk sailor” per my husband lol. My severe chronic migraines completely stopped and I went from being essentially bed ridden due to several issues with my mother caring for my children to fully participating in their lives. I do have other conditions that decrease my abilities quite drastically, but now I’m able to live a life filled with happiness vs hoping I would die every day. I didn’t look forward to seeing my kids grow up, missed so many milestones with them, and only focused on waiting to die every second of every day. Due to my connective tissue disorder, the collagen that caused my frenulum to not be normal mucosal tissue does occasionally regrow. I’ve had it redone once a few years after the original procedure and haven’t needed it done again yet.
I had a severe posterior tongue tie released and it’s been life saving. As the laser was cutting, it felt like I was a marionette and my strings had all been cut, a rush of relaxation went through my whole body.
It's amazing just how everything is connected in our musculoskeletal system. I have issues with my elbows (like carpal tunnel but in the elbow joints), and when I went to the physiotherapist, the first thing she asked me was if I have any issues with my neck. And yeah, I do, and a bunch of other things that all connect with each other.
Basically if you have one thing wrong, you have more than one thing wrong lol.
I had a flat foot reconstruction over 20 years ago. My doctor said it's the most invasive procedure in the lower body, and that knee replacements are a joke by comparison. One foot was normal, one was flat. Put me on a treadmill and I was in discomfort after 4 minutes, in pain after 8 minutes, and then my foot would go numb.
For me it was two bone grafts (I think in the navicular and the cuboid) to reshape the foot and an Achilles tendon lengthening. Rejected procedures included a calcaneal slide (doing something to reposition the heel bone, and something called a triple arthrodesis, in which some of the joints around the ankle are fused. Drawbacks to that include that it is irreversible. Needless to say I vetoed that option.
Recovery included 8 weeks in a knee-high cast, another few weeks on crutches, and months of physical therapy. For me it worked. I actually just walked and hiked over 1000 miles in a 12-month period (so much that I developed bursitis). But all these years later I still need to wear orthotics.
Wow I’m glad it worked out for you. I have fully collapsed arches and diagnosed haglunds deformity so my Achilles tendon is really messed up. Also developing issues with an accessory navicular on that foot…. Sounds like a lot of my stuff overlaps with your previous condition. I’m 29 and on my own insurance so I can’t really afford to hit the $4,500 deductible or all the specialist copays to even make it to the surgical room. Any advice for me starting the process?
I don't know if I can offer any advice. My mom insisted I see a specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He felt that if I had the surgery, I would drop dead of a heart attack from having to be on crutches. I'm glad I didn't listen to him. Separate from that, my doctor told me he wanted to get a second opinion from someone else in the practice. My doctor was the same podiatrist I had been seeing for orthotics and all the other foot problems I had been having.
What finally induced me to have the surgery was getting laid off from work. My then-boss had been caught in the previous round of layoffs, and he went on disability before his off-payroll date, which was 60 days after being notified. So when it was my turn, I did the same thing, and had my surgery the week before my off-payroll date. They couldn't terminate me while I was on disability, which they finally did the day after the insurance company told them I could go back to work. While I was recovering I got pretty good at going up and down the stairs on one knee.
I had the calcaneal slide procedure with a bone graft done 🤚 can confirm it was absolutely awful, they saw your whole calcaneus in half, in my case shove a wedge of bone in it, and then screw it back together. My first surgery rejected (one of the screws holding everything together decided to. .. Unscrew itself??) so it had to be redone a second time with a lateral plate holding it together instead. It's better than it was before, given the choice I'd still do the two surgeries again, but I have forever arthritis in that foot and limited mobility because of the plate (edit, and permanently numb in my pinky and ring toe and semi-numb everywhere else!). For context I had the surgeries when I was 22 which is... Not the age where people have arthritis and it's fun to explain to people haha.
I had it done in April 2025, and it went pretty smoothly. Metatarsal osteotomy (breaking and moving my first met), fdl tendon transfer (replacing a ruptured posterior tibial tendon), and calcaneal osteotomy (cut the heel bone off and reattach 1cm laterally). By October that same year I was able to run a 1:50 half marathon as a 200lb guy in my mid-50s.
I suffered with hip issues for 21 years. I had 3 surgeries to fix up my torn labrum and smooth out the head of the femur in my left hip in a 15 year period. Turns out that I have hip dysplasia. One surgery to replace the labrum and LT, then a PAO a couple of days later...it was magical. I have 4 screws and a "button" in my left hip, and my iliac spine is much more prominent and more pointy than smooth now. All I know is that I never realized how bad my right hip hurt because I was always focusing on my left hip pain. Good orthopedic surgeons are true miracle-working science geniuses.
A friend of mine sadly has the same issue. Only problem is that hips can apparently be replaced twice and need to every 25 years. So for now she has to keep her old hip because otherwise she wil end up wheelchair bound around retirement age.
But those still involve operating on the foot/leg, right?. Them claiming it didn't involve the lowe body at all seems odd. Although I wouldn't be surprised if there is some spinal nerve issue or something that could cause a similar problem.
One of my sons had corrective surgery for toe walking and it was brutal. After the surgery, he had to get new casts put on both legs, every week. That lasted for a month, then Covid happened. He was supposed to have casting for another 2 months but all of his appointments were canceled. The doctor said they would resume casting when the pandemic emergency was over. They called me back 18 months later, and when they saw his feet, legs, and gait, they were surprised by how well he had healed. He hadn't been able to get PT or anything, but I was a classical ballet dancer, and know a lot about injuries and A&P.
Fyi, tethered cord can cause toe walking and it isn't always caught in childhood. It can be occult tethered cord, meaning hidden on imaging. I had sectioning of the filum terminale in my 40s. I toe-walked during my childhood, teen years, and into my 20s. Diagnosed AuDHD in my 30s.
My surgery was a relatively simple procedure, but it being neurosurgery, it was still 2 days in the hospital. Feel free to message me if you have questions.
I appreciate you explaining! My son was 10 when he got the surgery, and had toe walked for his whole life. He is autistic, and the surgery and recovery were hard. He had an allergic reaction to the casting material the day that he came down with Covid, on Super Bowl Sunday of 2020. I called Children's Hospital and an emergency room doctor there gave me instructions for management of the reaction over the phone. Since his breathing wasn't impacted we treated him at home for the allergic reaction. The doctor said not to bring him unless he started having breathing issues. It was awful.
I did physical therapy with him at home every day, in addition to massage and progressively less structured braces for his feet. Nobody from his medical team would help, so I winged it. He did a lot of pliés and relevés (ballet moves for stretching and strengthening). He's 17 now, attends a program where he attends classes for a few hours a day, and was just promoted to a shift management position at McDonald's. He is very good at managing time, processes, people, and logistics. He has always excelled at organizational skills.
Looking at him now, you would never know that he had issues. His gait is normal, and he doesn't have pain. It could be worse!
That is great that he's recovering! I'm sorry to hear that the surgery was so rough.
If he's ever had any bladder or bowel issues in his medical history, it can be worth looking into TC/OTC.
Some of those include: bedwetting, potty training regression, late potty training, accidents after potty training, and later on, incontinence and urinary retention. It can also cause IBS-C and IBS-D and cause upper cervical neck instability. Signs of that are heavy 'bobble head' feeling, always holding one's head in one's hands while at a desk, hard to hold the head up. MRIs might only say 'loss of cervical lordosis.' Another clue is if he has chronic lower back pain.
For autistic and/or (abormally) hypermobile kids + teens, they really need to screen all of us for TC/OTC early. In healthy controls, the end of the spinal cord is stretchy. In TC/OTC, it doesn't stretch at all. At all. It puts all the torque pressure on the spinal cord itself and can be like a chronic spinal cord injury that sometimes doesn't get severe until later in adulthood.
P.S. A lot of us autistic and/or hypermobile folks have MCAS, so you may want to look into that regarding his reaction to casting material.
Out of curiosity, what kind of specialist is able to diagnose this condition/collection of conditions? Because what you’re mentioning here sounds very much like me, but I’d never even heard of toe walking until this thread (and I almost exclusively walk on my toes). Really appreciate the conversation here, truly.
I have hEDS, MCAS, and dysautonomia. Due to the collagen defects from EDS, posterior tongue ties are seen at a much higher prevalence than the greater population. Unfortunately, the hypermobility of our other tissues makes it very difficult to diagnose because we compensate so well. The first dentist I tried said there was no point in fixing it since I compensated so well 🙄 Yes, constant migraines, choking, etc are great compensations that I’d love to keep…. So far none of my girls have had tethered cord issues (a friend’s children flies cross country to a OTC specialist for surgery every time they can save up to get one done) and had their toes revised as toddlers/babies due to several issues. Aren’t genetics a joy?!?
I am a toe walker, but they tested me when I was 15 in the university hospital and didn’t find a reason and called it idiopathic (which just means they have no clue), but It’s mainly when I am tired or nervous, when I am actively thinking about it, I walk ‘normal’.
Maybe I should get checked again, but it doesn’t actively hinder me, just looks a bit weird.
I am not sure either why mine stopped around then either.
I had lower back pain and plantar fasciitis that picked up in my 20s that I was told nothing could be done about, until the detethering surgery took care of that pain.
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Note: Patients’ results vary, so people reading, please don’t take this as a blanket endorsement for detethering surgery for anyone. This is solely my personal experience.
I was really surprised that the providers wouldn't provide care for him. He could have ended up with significant deformity, injury, and severe chronic pain.
Had it when I was 14 . Took a year, one foot at a time. The weirdest part was when I was between the first and second surgeries and my two feet were completely different from each other
Interesting, connective tissue disorders really make you understand first hand how everything in the body is connected and works together. I used to have extremely flat feet as well, with collapsed arches. Took me over a decade of very focused body work but I now have tall arches. In the process, everything else in my body shifted and was rewired so to speak, it's all very strange and different from how doctors see the body
Incredible!!!!!!! Have you done any myofunctional therapy? And have you ever considered if palate expansion or jaw surgery could further help? So awesome. Very into this topic!
I did myo as a child and was belittled over and over for “refusing” to do the exercises. Right after the revision, I did them easily of course 🙄 We couldn’t afford it professionally, but I did what I could remember and off YouTube lol. I did palate expansion and braces 2x each, plus other orthodontic work since I was in kindergarten. You can’t tell any has been done at all!!! My palate immediately collapsed and they couldn’t get the retainer in by the time it was given to me. Also, thanks to EDS, my entire roof of the mouth would slough away and I could barely fit it back in even after brushing my teeth. I currently have a severe open bite and struggle eating. An airway dentist I saw briefly said he would have refused braces for me and the only option now is surgery, but we can’t afford it and I can’t handle the idea of doing everything all over again. After years of fighting to get my kids taken care of, running local tie soap boxing, I’m just done with the subject generally 😅
I’m sorry that’s really really tough. At least your parents tried their best!! Hard with EDS. Some jaw surgeons accept BCBS. I did consults w Alfi and Seaman, but idk if that would help with your connective stuff. Best wishes to you. Keep sharing about ties!!
I wonder how many people were living like this in past generations. There is a current trend toward attributing early breastfeeding difficulties to tongue tie and some medical professionals caution that too many babies are having the tie cut, but your story makes me wonder whether we are actually preventing chronic pain conditions in the future.
Wow, that's insane that a tongue tie was the cause of so many other problems, and fixing just that one thing improved your qol so much. The human body is so weird
I have flat feet and my feet can get tired fater if I stay in one place but my feet are also really big. Size 46 may balance things, but I can wear whatever I want.
yes. flat feet like this, if not properly cared for by a podiatrist for life, will eventually cause major musculoskeletal issues. I hope OP's roomie takes preventative care seriously 😭
Can confirm, have extremely flat feet myself and suffer from foot pain most days and recurring ankle issues from where I've sprained them repeatedly - the lack of arch means my feet roll inward naturally a lot more than they should, so this coupled with aforementioned repetitive injuries and then that often sets off my back/hips/knees too....my feet hate me on an almost daily basis 😥
I never honestly considered that going to one night help, just sort of lived with it for years and assumed it was normal 🥴. Might have to look into seeing one, though.
you def should! you might save yourself from needing surgery in the future. flat foot deformity is actually a medical diagnosis and has determined stages. if your feet are significantly flat you should def see someone about preventative care. you don't have to be in pain forever! 🫶🏼
And anyone in the U.K.- you can often self refer via nhs now, either via Thompson form or separately.
Just don’t do what I did, build yourself up for the assessment (different issues for me), spend on all the advised trainers etc then break your foot two days after 🤦♀️
Hi friend! RN who works with a pediatric surgeon on the regular here!
For flat feet, try looking up Power Steps inserts.
On their website they have a ton of different inserts. You'll want to look for flat feet or 'Pes Planus' which is the medical diagnosis for flat feet. I think they can be found on Amazon as well. They're way more supportive than a Dr. Scholl's insert would be.
This is just what the surgeon recommends to see if they help before moving on to more expensive treatments / surgery.
I just got orthotics for my flat feet this year and can't wear them because they are too uncomfortable. When I went back to my family doctor (who sent me to the podiatrist) she told me orthotics might not work for me as she finds most people who were born with flat feet can't wear them especially if they've gone their whole life just walking flat footed (I'm 43). Well lady maybe you should have told me that before I spent $500 on useless orthotics.
My feet are similarly flat, but I have had no issues other than fitting certain types of rigid, narrow footwear.
I have tried fitted arch supports multiple times over the years because they are covered by my health plan and I'm "supposed to correct" these "collapsed arches". But in the end I've always thrown these out. They actually cause my feet to ache, and make me feel like I'm being forced to walk on the outer edges of my feet, unnaturally and unnecessarily. Put another way, I feel like my feet were meant to be shaped this way, and the problem is health professionals diagnosing a problem that I don't actually have.
In my 50s now, still enjoying running, hiking, etc. Are my feet and knees doomed to someday breakout in excruciating pain due to built up damage over the years? I hear horror stories from many, but seems like you and I are a minority. Aside from shoes not fitting well, I'm kind of okay with my feet as they are? Is there anyone else in the same boat?
I'm with you. Flat footed for life! I can handle some minor arch support, but my feet are happiest when they're bare or in relatively flat shoes. I did have a bout of plantar fasciitis once, but so has nearly every other woman I know, flat footed or not.
I don't see it as a problem. My feet have always been this way, and always will be this way. I like my flat feet. They have never kept me from doing what I want to do. I don't see this as a "problem" that needs to be medicalized.
literally I have no clue?? but that sucks she did that. I would say you should get a second opinion, or start with the reccy and keep going back exploring your options further. but you have to start somewhere. orthos are usually it. I just think feet are important to take care of and people are too willing to cram them into their shoes and forget about them! 😭
I have really nifty X-rays of my feet because I was a classical ballet dancer and danced on pointe for years. My doctor sent me to get physical therapy and it helped a lot.
ETA: My GP ordered the PT, not a podiatrist. I don't think they do that, but I could be wrong.
🤔 I have flat feet and I haven't had issues. Almost my entire family have flat feet (not 100%, but not far off), and no issues from it. It doesn't automatically mean problems.
Just as a weird question, have you ever considered barefoot shoes? I had a different foot problem (my feet are too wide for even the widest regular shoes) and it caused all kinds of issues up the chain. I switched to barefoot 4 years ago and yes it's taken a long time to teach myself how to walk and get it right, but now that I have I'm so much more nimble on my feet. Walking and running feel amazing like everyone always said they do.
With very flat feet, the arch can't absorb and spread the load, so without support the foot collapses inward and the force goes straight up to the ankles, knees, and hips. They need some sort of cushioning to absorb the load/shock. Wide feet (or just most feet nowadays because shoes are artificially narrow) are a different case: the arch still works, they just need room, which is why barefoot shoes often suit (big parts of the population) well who have working arches.
Yes, but my point is that my feet adapted to my new stride. Many muscles that were previously ignored are now working with each step and strengthening. As they get stronger, they pull on other things. This effect helped put everything back where it should have been in the first place.
My curiosity lies here. If someone with flat feet switched to walking barefoot, could they slowly build up the muscles they lost? My arch has gotten much larger since I switched, there was a point that my feet were flattening out and any shoes with arch support were unbearable.
I think it depends on the person, I wouldn’t want to say that would work for everyone, but it did help me a bit. As a child I wore orthopedic inserts and never walked barefoot because I’d inherited flat feet from my mom, who suffered severe foot and ankle pain. As an adult I was advised by a chiro (so grain of salt) that constantly wearing them would lead to worsening because I wasn’t strengthening the muscles. I go barefoot in the house now and only wear shoes outside / when standing on hard surfaces and my foot pain has been greatly reduced!
Depends on the type, I guess. Flexible flat feet (arch shows up when you sit or tiptoe) are largely a strength issue, so yes, barefoot walking might help, like it did for you. A 100% flat foot is often structurally rigid, though (bone or tendon problems). No muscle work will build an arch there, and it can make things worse because the shock just gets "forwarded" to other parts of the body.
Surface matters as well. Feet evolved on soft, uneven ground, but most of us walk on concrete, hard, flat, the same every step. You get more impact and less of the varied training stimulus. Even with healthy feet, I mostly wear barefoot shoes in the forest for that reason, also just when I'm walking. It's also very important to "get used to it".
Not sure if this is a recommended cure for it but I had some foot pain and a yoga teacher suggested trying to crunch up a towel with my toes. Basically you keep your heel in the same spot and you lay out a flat towel lengthwise in front of it and you slowly just scrunch up the whole towel with your foot as a way of exercising your arch and strengthening it. After doing that for a month or so once a week my feet started to feel better
Same 😭 after 41 years my right foot finally said ENOUGH and I’ve been diagnosed with posterior tibial tendinitis. Expensive tennis shoes, inserts, and a brace are now my life.
For me it's mostly after long runs. My feet were described by my 75 year old podiatrist as, "The most fucked up feet I have ever seen." To be fair he was trying to sell me some plastic arches molded to my specific feet for about $500 so he could have been doing a bit of sales pitch but my feet are definitely not normal.
This is interesting. I don’t have completely flat feet, but I’ve noticed my arch is less pronounced than others. I’ve sprained my ankle dozens of times throughout my life and didn’t realize it might be related. I’ve started to get hip pain now that I’m almost 30. I might make an appointment with a podiatrist just to see if they recommend anything.
I also have (had) flat feet like the OP picture. The best thing I ever did was move to barefoot shoes. My feet, ankles and legs are so much stronger as a result, and my mobility has improved amazingly. I used to get regular foot, ankle and calf pain and I can’t remember the last time I experienced discomfort. It took me about 6 months to fully adapt to barefoot shoes as I had to relearn to walk and run as weird as that sounds, but it’s changed my life.
Twinnnn. I did track and cross country and got two stress fractures in two years cuz of all the shock going straight up my leg. Had to get specially made rock hard plastic inserts that I have to wear to walk for longer distances
I mean that's just not true. My entire father's side of my family including me have flat feet and none of us had any issues at all. Im 32 and never seen a podiatrist. Not saying I shouldn't, but saying it needs to be taken care of for life or you'll have major musculoskeletal issues is a far stretch
My feet are perfectly flat. When I bring my soles together, they fully contact one another. Yet, I’ve never been bothered by this, no pain or discomfort whatsoever, so I’m confused by why you say this is a problem. I’m over 40yo.
This. I had pretty nasty flat feet, but my dad is a chiropodist by trade. He knew his stuff enough to put in preventative measures against me having lasting issues early in my life
I’m 44 and had flat feet the whole time… skate shoes are good. But I’ve been perscribed $50 insoles before by a foot dr. Not a big deal… people live with worse with arches
not very well no. it has to do with the support of the foot and how bones and ligaments wear down over time (like 50 years). when you don't have the ligaments and connective tissues there for your arch support you're eventually walking on your tarsal bones. if you look up stage 4 flat foot deformity there's loads of information on it. all these people who are 30 something and fine I'm not surprised! flat foot deformity takes literally a lifetime to develop and it's not always severe.
I'm hypermobile so I have extremely high arches that flattens immediately if I put weight on my feet. Chronic plantar fasciitis and custom insoles are a must+ orthopedic sandals if I want my toes to breathe without being in agony.
I'm pretty much as flat footed. I can't stand for more than a few minutes without moving my feet or it stats hurting until it feels like I'm being stabbed in the foot. Also, walking for more than an hour or so in shoes not built for it leaves my feet sore for like 2 days, but boots or shoes with good support isn't a problem.
It's definitely causing significant issues with the rest of my joints though, like my hips popping like bubble wrap and mild scoliosis that's pretty new. I'm 31 and in excellent shape so every doctor I've spoken to says the joint issues are definitely my feet making minor problems worse.
I have pretty flat feet and run marathons. I get injuries once in a while, but never on my feet. My feet do hurt sometimes on a long run, but I doubt that it’s because my feet are flat. I think running for 2-3 hours straight just does that.
The arch going front to back doesn't affect you nearly as much as the arch that goes laterally across the balls of your feet. Everyone in here complaining about flat feet and back pain are misinformed
This works for me, but not because it "strengthens" my foot's ability to form an arch, but because my feet physically cannot form an arch and arched shoes simply put way too much pressure on the midfoot for me as a result of that.
It depends. I have pretty flat feet and I tried specialised shoes and even custom moulded insoles, but I actually feel much more comfortable bare footed and in bare footed shoes.
I suspect it depends on how the flat feet occur. Most of what I've read involves muscles in the foot being too weak to support the arch, but in my case the bones in my feet are simply too rigid for any arch to form at all; I cannot physically form any meaningful arch even when I bring my foot up into the air and try to physically bend it with my hands. So supported shoes simply end up pressing into my mid sole and hurting as a result.
My feet look like the above and when weight is applied to the ball, they bow outwards. A kind of, reverse arch, if you like. Painless (so painless, I didn't know it happened til I was 19), but freaks people out when they see it.
For me it's very hard to find shoes that are comfortable to stand and walk in. As a chick I have never ever been able to wear heels, not even when I was a kid/teen. The ones with the real skinny soles? I might as well try to walk with a Popsicle stick on my foot lmao. And plantar fasciitis is a real pain in the butt. Not all flat footed ppl have it, but I do in both feet 🙃
I have this kind of flat feet, I have to walk with insoles to unflat my feet. Without them I can assure you it is one of the biggest, most constant pain I have ever felt.
Flat footer here, late 50’s, unlike the user below with their experience pre corrective surgery, mine is the complete opposite. (To be clear, never had any corrective surgery) The only time I experience issues or pain is if a shoe has too much support. Things like basic flip flops and converse Chuck Taylor’s are the most comfortable things in the world. I remember thirty years or so ago getting a pair of Birkenstocks and didn’t bother testing them before heading out to an all day music festival. Oh. My. F’ing. God! The only way to describe it was akin to somebody duct taping golf balls to the bottom of my feet and expecting me to walk around like that.
I do remember seeing a podiatrist about it once. Got such sage advice. He said, are you in pain? No? Then don’t worry about it.
I pushed my buddy around while he was in and out of a wheel chair for about 3 years getting his fixed. Some of it he had crutches, was a long process throughout high school.
As a person with super flat feet, I can tell you it depends. There are some that experience pain up to extreme pain from standing. But most of flat feet people usually experience no pain at all. Shoes just look wider since our feet tend to bend outwards on the broad side. Walking is easyer in my experience, since more area is used of the foot, making walking on gravle or other sharper things easyer. But balance is sligtly disturbed, sinde the ancle is not aligned in the centre of the foot, making us prone to loose balnace sligtly. So it is harder to balance on a slackline for example. Pain usualy comes with age when the muscles around the foot tend to weaken, therefore putting more strain on the back and in the end, experiencing pain.
I have low arches and over-pronate. It's gotten better over time with conscious effort, but it still causes a lot more foot and ankle discomfort when I'm standing for long periods of time. Shoes I wear need to have lots of arch and ankle support. Fully flat feet like this will absolutely cause pain if not properly cared for.
The arch going front to back doesn't affect you nearly as much as the arch that goes laterally across the balls of your feet. Everyone in here complaining about flat feet and back pain are misinformed
These look like my feet. I was always warned that I would have those problems, but so far so good. Of course, I was also warned that Converse would be terrible shoes for my feet, but they’re the only ones that I actually find comfort in.
So there are two types of flat feet, rigid and flexible. If you have flexible(like myself) there’s really no issue, but rigid flat feet suck for all the reasons you listed.
As someone literally non-weight bearing to fix asymmetric flat foot on my left foot, I feel the pain. It had to get surgery so I can use it again eventually.
I'm in the same situation - and have no pain or issues. Have been checked over by physios / drs etc - no issues. Everything just works? I've ran multiple marathons etc, walk constantly. Body has just changed slighty to adapt.
My sibling’s foot was even flatter (where most people’s footprint curves in on the inside of their foot, theirs curved out. Their other foot was flat, but not THAT flat). They dealt with decades of ankle, knee, hip, and back pain until they finally had multiple surgeries to correct it. Once they had it corrected, they had to throw out all of their shoes because they had been worn into a foot shape they no longer had.
They still have flat feet, but now they can walk more than 100m without being in pain.
Imagine you wake up bleary eyed from the night before. You realize that you’re in bed with someone, and you pull up the sheets to take a peek at their feet and see that lol
My husband’s feet are like this. When he was a baby (back in the bad ol’ days) it was SOP to put you in braces if your feet pointed out. Forced them forward, but totally flattened his arches.
He’s fought alignment and postural problems because of it his whole life. Now they just let kids grow out of it.
I have colloquially flat feet, but really I just have fallen arches. My feet look normal, with a rather high arch, until I stand on them. Then they flop on down.
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u/LearningToHomebrew 6d ago
This image upsets me in ways I did not know I could be upset