Recommended Therapy for "Flat Feet"

[Kit Laughlin]

I have neglected this thread; sorry.

The whole foot sequence (including the forefoot) is now up on YT; see:

It is offered in a 'follow along" format; ;let me know what you think. Regards to all, KL

[Joshua Naterman]

I have "flat feet" the pronated arch type. These recommendations are great all around. I fully intend on doing this training and documenting my discoveries. Thanks Kit!

WARNING

If you have Morton's Foot Syndrome or have pronated arch "flat feet" and have not been diagnosed by a podiatrist. Minimize weight bearing bare foot work and listen to your body! You can easily end up with Cuboid syndrome, peroneal tendinitis, and stress fractures among other injuries if you go too far too fast with barefoot / five finger work. Especially avoid bare foot running until you have developed the proper supporting strength in the tibialis posterior and peroneal muscles!

Morton's Foot Syndrome:

If caused in early stages of life you could end up with what is called Morton's Foot Syndrome which is a development issue where in the 1st Metatarcel shortens to offer more weight bearing support on the 2nd and sometimes 3rd metatarcel. In some cases the bones can begin to calcify and form bunions and bone spurs. The entire development affects the entire kinetic chain including the hip flexors as Kit described, and can affect spinal alignment (scoliosis) as well as forward head placement. It can be very tricky to correct. Currently podiatrists that I have been to (3-4 in the North East) recommend doing a variety of exercises and suggest having prescription orthotics for correction. And even then- they suggest the problem will only heal 25% in my lifetime. (Thus my interest in utilizing Kit's methods).

I have yet to try this, mostly because I don't have any of Morton's feet, but my girlfriend picked one up somehow.

So, in the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, which is a great resource for those into self-care, a nice little gem is tucked away on the last page of the foot section, which is at the end of the book.

Basically, if you want to know if you have a Morton's foot it's easy to find out. Toe lengths won't tell you a thing but you know what will? Pulling your toes down with your hand like you're making a foot fist and looking at where the metatarsal bone heads actually are.

My girlfriend's feet and toes look identical, but using this simple test we found that the 1st and 2nd metatarsal heads are right next to each other on the left foot and the 2nd is about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch longer than the 1st on the right foot! And wouldn't you know, her right foot has a "Morton's Neuroma" that has caused problems for most of her life?!

The solution described is mindnumbingly simple: put a small pad of moleskin under the first metatarsal head. This is better than orthotics made for the purpose, because they usually elevate the metatarsal heads with a lump of plastic that actually ends up putting more pressure on the metatarsal head. I won't say this isn't sometimes necessary for some people, particularly if they have a neuroma without a Morton's foot, but try the moleskin first.

The moleskin modification allows your foot to have the triangular stability of 5th to 1st metartarsal and heel, instead of the 2nd taking a bunch of weight and destabilizing the triangle and therefore the entire foot, ankle, knee and hip chain.

Once you've got the modification in place, Kit's foot work will do even MORE good!

[Cody Hahn]

Joshua,

 

It's funny you mention this about the morton's toe compared to morton's foot. The interesting thing is that I seem to remember that the ancient Greeks revered and prized the morton's foot/toe. If I remember correctly, they considered it a thing of great beauty and even featured this in some of their sculptures. Just can't remember specifically if it was the morton's toe or morton's foot.

[Beldor]

I have yet to try this, mostly because I don't have any of Morton's feet, but my girlfriend picked one up somehow.

So, in the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, which is a great resource for those into self-care, a nice little gem is tucked away on the last page of the foot section, which is at the end of the book.

Basically, if you want to know if you have a Morton's foot it's easy to find out. Toe lengths won't tell you a thing but you know what will? Pulling your toes down with your hand like you're making a foot fist and looking at where the metatarsal bone heads actually are.

My girlfriend's feet and toes look identical, but using this simple test we found that the 1st and 2nd metatarsal heads are right next to each other on the left foot and the 2nd is about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch longer than the 1st on the right foot! And wouldn't you know, her right foot has a "Morton's Neuroma" that has caused problems for most of her life?!

The solution described is mindnumbingly simple: put a small pad of moleskin under the first metatarsal head. This is better than orthotics made for the purpose, because they usually elevate the metatarsal heads with a lump of plastic that actually ends up putting more pressure on the metatarsal head. I won't say this isn't sometimes necessary for some people, particularly if they have a neuroma without a Morton's foot, but try the moleskin first.

The moleskin modification allows your foot to have the triangular stability of 5th to 1st metartarsal and heel, instead of the 2nd taking a bunch of weight and destabilizing the triangle and therefore the entire foot, ankle, knee and hip chain.

Once you've got the modification in place, Kit's foot work will do even MORE good!

 

Slizz,

Sorry for the long time between responses.  Yes- right on with toe length vs. metatarsal head positioning.

The moleskin modification is great for self medication- however a good podiatrist will be able to spot Morton's syndrome and be able to apply a prescription Morton's foot extension to the Orthotic.  (Google Images you'll see the similarities to the moleskin method). 

My prescription Orthotic, to a layman, looks like a Orthotic with a flap at the end to make it look like a standard shoe insert.  However, the foot pad has been adjusted to be thicker underneath the 1st metatarsal and part of the 2nd metatarsal on the left foot.  On the right foot, the pad is thicker under only the 1st metatarsal (you guessed it- my left foot has a more collapsed arch than my right- which has caused all sorts of problems:  left hip flexor tighter than right, slight scoliosis of the spine, forward head position, etc.)

All,

1.  I found that ballet foot stretching / strengthening exercises to be helpful.  Specifically things related to "En Pointe" training.  Doming is great for strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles.

2.  Reliance on certain Medical service industry folk who have an incentive to not fully fix your problem can be "dangerous".

 

 

See below on my personal foot related history for details.

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Podiatrist #1 "wear these Orthotics, never walk anywhere without shoes, even if you do exercises you'll never cure the problem- but if you want you can do these supplementary exercises.  Come back in a year and I'll re-evaluate you to see if you need a prescription change."

Podiatrist #2 "It's too bad you didn't walk bare foot more when you were younger, now there's nothing you can do except wear these Orthotics"

Podiatrist #3

After sustaining a knee injury said "You will never be able to run long distance again".  Just over a year later I started wearing 5 fingers, I trained for a marathon and the Ragnar Relay without injury.

If you have flat feet, The key is to find a doc who is good and actually wants to help you fix your problem.   AND to follow intelligent forums such as this one, which talk about how you can help yourself.  If I mindlessly followed my Podiatrist's advice, I would not be in a very good place.  Right now, my foot health is the best it has ever been in my life.

Podiatrist #4

"Here are orthotics with morton's extension.  Also, I suggest barefoot walking as much as possible.  When you need support, wear shoes and always wear shoes with these orthotics.  stay away from barefoot running for a year unless you want to be back in my office again.

When you are strong enough, you can start easing into 5 finger running over the course of a year.  5 finger running should be less than 1/3 of your total mileage and you should never run more than 5-6 miles at once, in them until you have addressed your development issues more fully." 

And this is where I am now- applying Kit's and Cole's methods 2-3 times a week.

 

[Cole Dano]

Arch Building exercise

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6L8nzOMgT8&feature=player_embedded

[Joshua Naterman]

Beldor, it sounds like podiatrist #4 was the only guy who should be practicing. Those orthotics really sound fantastic, a good find for sure. I also like his advice, it's the same advice that everyone who gets into barefoot running should really follow.

 

Any chance you could share what company you (or your doctor) went through?

 

I will check out the doming stuff, I don't know what that is. Never heard the term before, nor have I been exposed to any ballet foot exercise.

[Edgaron]

My left foot is more pronated than the right one and the left foot has much less mobility in various aspects, that's probably due to a fall I've experienced quite a while ago.

 

Should I focus on fixing left leg first?

 

Also, my right foot in only slightly turned outwards in a relaxed position and if I stand on the right leg only I can without effort keep my body facing forwards.

 

But when I try standing on my left leg (it being straight) the body automatically rotates inwards and it takes some effort to turn back facing forwards. Is that an obvious sign of a flat foot? Or might it be something else?

[Tristan Curtis]

I've had a great experience wearing Fivefingers as much as I can for two years - both walking around and jogging (on grass). In 2011 my feet were really flat, wide and size 13, now they are arched and size 10.5. Absolutely no foot/ankle exercises, just doing life with them. Born to Run explains the physiology behind why this happens.

 

It's not just about the shoes though, invest in some research about barefoot running/walking (books, YouTube) to eliminate pronation in the gait.

[Hanuman]

I've always walked around in my barefeet as a kid partly out of lazyness and partly because I just felt better when I did. As a result the front of my feet are very wide I feel uncomfortable in almost all shoes (my little toe often ends up wearing through the outside) I have relatively good freedom of movement in my toes they r quite separated and I can move my little toes independently of the others tho the rest all move at the same time (excluding big toe of course). Part of this obsession comes from climbing trees etc when a kid (and still know lol) it always felt easier to grip with the toes than wear shoes. However I do tend to over pronate and have very tight calves and hamstrings. I have been given orthotics but unsurprisingly I hate them.

It's such a relief to find a reliable forum that u can trust a lot of the barefooters seem fanatical in what they do and just say walk around bare foot and u will be healed.

So if I follow these exercises is there a general timeframe for a change in pronation?

Btw totally agree with that podiatrist thing earlier I had the same guy one year tell me I could use physio to help me but then he gave me orthotics instead. Next time I ask about physio he sez not possible then tells me how great barefoot running is... Where's the continuity??

Ps sorry for being ranty

[quickstepper]

Great posts all around here!

 

Stumbled across this forum looking for headstand leg lifts. I’ve had “flat feet†my entire life. My dad said all men in the family have them. However, seeing Kit’s posts now made me make the connection of my tight hips and weak ankles, that I remember even from early childhood (ice skates being almost at a 45 degree angle to the ice), to the flat feet I have.

 

Have to agree with Joshua. So many different viewpoints here. Personally I have a background in ballroom dancing. I’m shaking my head at Cole’s experience about people not getting it in the yoga class.

 

For ballroom when walking forward we really focus on how the foot rolls and comes into contact with the floor. Proper pressure and foot placement into the floor means everything. Solid foundation gives balance and control of movement, power forward and creates a greater stride. When dealing with rise and fall it provides that needed control especially in the waltz. When stepping off to the side you reach with your big toe and then I tell students to only let the weight go to “the little piggy that ate roast beefâ€. Going further makes you loose control and can also end up with you rolling over your ankle.

 

For the latin dances it creates more power and speed of movement through the entire body. Energy seeps up through the floor to your feet and through to your connection with your partner.

The floor and your connection with it, is paramount.

 

Saying all this I can’t believe I hadn't linked my flat feet to how the rest of my body was functioning until I read these posts. Hopefully I can have arches for the first time in my life. I'll start these exercises today

 

Regarding spreading toes… I’ve found that - and please scold me if I am inadvertently damaging them -  to get my toes to voluntarily separate I started with forcing them apart by placing my fingers in between, like described by Kit, and then I would try and hold them apart after taking the fingers out. I’ve also bent my big toe so that it’s lower than the other toes which gives my other toes more freedom to move apart. Making my pinky toe go down seemed to teach it to separate as well and it’s the toe that I can now separate the most. Once you get it, it feels so go good to splay the toes.

 

Thanks again to everyone for their great advice and insight.

[Hanuman]

just wanted to say thanks to Kit ive been following the advice for several months now and my pronation issues have reduced greatly

and the vibrams are great to  go everywhere in them

however for stretching  i didnt really have a partner so i have managed as best i could.

i still have great difficulty with my left leg its far less flexible then my right and i cannot turn the left foot completely straight  so i end up doing trying to twist it as i walk which is annoying when my right leg is fine :/

i also think i may be becoming supinated now as it seems sometimes too much weight is resting on the outsides

 

the major thing i wanted to ask tho is how to correct toes that are swollen and twisted out of proper alignment (my little toes are so curled they basically look like thumbs and nothing ive done has helped)?

any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated

[Ohad Ben-Cohen]

Anti-Pronation exercise video from Kit:

 

Thanks a lot, Kit! this thread is indeed gold.

[Anders Alexandersson]

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