Article on fixing flat feet

[Garrett Smith]

Try your VFFs for a while, see how things go after that. Make sure to respect the "break-in" period, don't wear them too much to start.

A heel lift is not like hard orthotics, the ones I used were softer rubber, but it wouldn't work with your VFFs.

If I were in your situation and deciding to explore the heel lift route further, I'd try to find a chiropractor with orthopedic training.
http://www.dcorthoacademy.com/

[Donald Lee]

Thanks for the input.

[Robert Johnson]

What if one foot is flat and the other isn't? I couldn't work out why, until I noticed if I straighten both legs and let the feet hang, the left (not-flat) foot points inwards so it rests on the outer edge of the foot, and the right (flat) foot points outwards, like a normal flat foot.

So the feet look like /./ - with the . being the body, looking from above.

So if my left foot is put into the proper position, pointing fowards, my shin points left, because the shin and foot only keep just in line if I hold considerable muscle tension in my ankle/calf, otherwise the foot points to the right again... I had not noticed this before. I think it is related to poor rehab of the right foot, i.e not using it for months.

What can I do? Walk around forcing the foot, shin and thigh into line? Keep doing static holds? - I noticed if I keep the leg totally straight and move the foot, the shin cannot rotate at all, in relation to the thigh so it is easier to hold the foot straight. Anything else?

(It's normal for the shin to be able to rotate a bit, in the knee joint, right?)

Also, hello, this is my first post, I have learnt a lot from this place already.

[Garrett Smith]

Robert,
Try the other advice given in this thread initially. Give it a couple months of solid work, then report back. Simple stuff first.

[Robert Johnson]

I tried the toe up and rotate the hips movement, after holding the foot pointing forwards for a few hours. The foot sank down instead of resting on the outer edge. So I am pleased I have two flat feet and not one abnormal ankle.

[Grissim Connery]

cool article. i agree with jumping rope instead of calf raises. i like how he stresses the calf work and then right afterwards, there's a massive ad for a calf machine.

one thing that has helped my lower legs immensely is the toe balance from yoga. generally if you're not doing it right, then your ankle flexors will burn out after a minute and you can't hold the pose at all. doing it single legged (like a pistol but on your forefoot) will really let you know how coordinated you are in that area. i feel that a lot of people stress pushing from the heel without ever giving attention to the forefoot. i noticed a lot of physical benefits when i gave more attention to this issue. i feel that really important movement is the transition from heel to forefoot and vice versa while squatted. if any knee pain exists or the muscles of the lower leg burn out, then it's probably worth drilling.

[Neal Winkler]

I don't have flat feet, but how would one test for less than optimal foot arch?

[Garrett Smith]

Neal,
I don't know of a specific test, but foot arch is pretty well addressed in the free portion of this book...click on the book cover that says "Look Inside!" on this page, I believe the arch portion is towards the end.

[Allen Yeh]

Originally Posted by Donald Lee

The chiropractor that I saw a couple of times suggested a stretch for me that seems to rotate my pelvis, but I'm skeptical as to whether it'll fix anything.

My whole body is disproportionate. My left leg is longer, my left foot is longer, my left hand is bigger, my left arm is longer, my left ear is higher, my left chest bone protrudes more, etc. So I'm skeptical as to whether the many other possible reasons for a perceived longer leg are actually the case.

I just hope being disproportionate doesn't cause problems down the road. X-rays already showed that my cervical spine is tilted toward the right, and my lumbar is also tilted toward the right. I'm guessing that's a result of the longer leg and not a cause???

Anyways, thanks for the input.

Donald I was looking through some old blog posts on Dave Drapers site and thought this might be of some use for you:

http://davedraper.com/blog/2008/09/1...-elevated-hip/

[Donald Lee]

Originally Posted by Allen Yeh

Donald I was looking through some old blog posts on Dave Drapers site and thought this might be of some use for you:

http://davedraper.com/blog/2008/09/1...-elevated-hip/

I'll definitely start stretching my QL on the elevated side and do side planks on my normal side.

I find that what was written about the glute activation to be the opposite for me. I have glute activation problems on my elevated side because of tight hip flexors on that side.

I definitely don't want to end up having surgery like Dave Draper. Thanks for the link.