i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this but i thought maybe it was. if it's not then i guess it'll be moved.

i'm just curious if anyone else has flat feet. i have the flatest feet i have ever seen. i have no arch what so ever. from the research i have done i think i have what they call plantar fasciitis but i have never asked a doctor about it.

when i run the middle of my feet where the arch is supposed to be hurts but goes away. once i start walking after i stop running my feet hurt so bad. even if i don't run and i just walk, after a little bit my feet start to hurt. i tell myself to keep going and maybe the pain will go away but it doesn't until i stop. sometimes the pain is so unbareable that i have to stop and sit down for a couple seconds to take the pressure off my feet so they can get relief.

during my research i realized that all doctors tell you to do is wear insols and supports in your shoes. i've tried this and they are uncomfortable and don't work. i've tried taping around the middle of my foot where the arch is supposed to be and that doesn't work either.i was thinking about buying one of those night time boots that you wear when you sleep for this condition but they are so expensive.

i've tried many different sneakers and the only one's that i can wear that don't bother my feet from the instant i put them on are Saucony. i have trouble even finding other types of shoes that don't have high arches so they don't bother my feet.

i play softball and it is really bothersome because i run for a little bit and when i stop i'm in so much pain. everytime i do any type of exercise i know i'm going to have pain but i just tough it out.

i know i'm never going to have an arch in my foot but if anyone has this problem or can give me suggestions on what to do to at least allieviate some of the pain that would be great. thank you in advance.

*~*candi*~*

hi there,

i have a heel spur and plantar fasciitis also. Plus my feet are flat as pancakes! From what i've read and what my doctor says, the heel spur isn't really what causes the pain. It's the plantar fasciitis.

It's worse first thing in the morning. i think fluid gets built up and by walking on it, that removes the fluid. It feels better after that. But on really bad days, being on my feet too much really causes pain. Or even just sitting for awhile, then getting on my feet again, hurts.

Several years ago i did see a foot doc and have the (expensive) orthotics made for my feet. They do seem to help when i wear them. But they only fit into athletic-type shoes. Although it's rare to have NO pain. And it being summer with sandals and going barefoot, i have more pain. Yes, i know i'm not ever supposed to GO barefoot but it's one of the trade-offs, i guess.

In talking to some friends in the medical field, the consensus is that surgery for heel spur/plantar fasciitis isn't all that successful. So i'm hoping weight loss will help lots.

Good luck!

well i'm glad to know i'm not the only one who experiences this pain,not that i'm glad you experience pain but i thought maybe i was just an odd person and everyone would think i was crazy.i agree with you that when you wake up first thing in the morning it is the worst or after you sit for a while. i haven't spent the money on the special made orthodics because i find the others so bothersome. hopefully like you said loosing weight will help.hope you find relief from the pain soon cuz i know what it's like.good luck!

*~*candi*~*

I have REALLY flat feet! So I can sympathize. I used to jog in high school and had to cut it out because it was too hard on my knees with the weight distribution being all wrong due to my feet.

I teach college and notice my feet hurt if I stand on them longer than 20-30 minutes. I do have custom made inserts (they took a while to get used to-don't give up!) and they help-but dumping my extra 40 pounds has helped tremendously.

I usually try to keep my cardio stuff low impact because of it-I do the eliptical runner which is easier on my knees and feet and I do low impact aerobic stuff.

Howdy---I too have flat feet, they were supposed to keep me out of the military, but I still served in both the Navy and the Army for 12 years, and I ran marathons for 10 years, and on my feet for 25 years working as a cook. When it comes to shoes for what ever purpose I don't pinch pennies, I get the best that I can afford. I have trouble with shoes that have high arches, I just shop around until I find the ones that feel right. That is about all you can do when you have our problem. I now wear a running sandle as they are much cooler than shoes here in the desert, I have some heavier sandles for hiking. About the only time my feet get to hurting any more is pushing the cart for my wife on her weekend shopping marathons. Taku John

Hi Candi

I used to dance for a living, and a lot of dancers can end up with this problem (fallen arches) if they're not careful.

One exercise we were given is frustrating as hell when you first try it, but does really help strengthen (and thus lift) the muscles under your foot.

Stand barefoot on the floor and put a sheet of A4 paper in front of your toes (do one foot, then the other). Okay... now all you have to do, using a kind of caterpillar motion with the underside of your foot, is move that paper under your foot till it comes out at your heel. It'll take practise I warn you... but it'll really help keep your foot in better shape too.

As does lots of ballet points: essentially sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, now point your toes forward and use the muscles under your feet to pull your toes as close to the floor as you can, with as smooth a line as possible from the ankle over the top of the foot.

Go easy at first or you'll just end up with cramp!

Do both of these regularly and you should find it starts to help.

Ooh, I've had the plantar fasciitis! very painful! The paper suggestion is very good for strengthening! It can also be done with a towel (it's a little easier)
To help soothe the pain, try rolling your foot over a soda can or tennis ball. The can works really well, and it always seemed to make mine feel somewhat better. Anti-inflammatories (such as Alleve) help to reduce the inflammation that causes the pain, and also helps to heal the injured tissues. stuff like ibuprofen and aspirin don't do it though, they just mask the pain!
I'm also a big fan of Sauconys! They seem to be great for flat footed people.

UrbanGypsy and climbergrl - thanks for those suggestions. i'll have to give them a try.

thanks everyone for replying. i don't feel alone any more. i guess all of us just aren't lucky enough to have arched feet. i guess that just makes us more special because there are fewer of us with flat feet than those with arched feet. lol. not that arched footed people aren't special.

*~*candi*~*

I wear Spenco-brand half-arches in every pair of shoes that I can fit them in, and they really help. It probably took a while to get used to them, but now I REALLY feel it if I forget them.

The best exercise I found for plantar f. is downward-facing dog, the yoga stretch. Hands and feet on the ground, butt in the air, move GENTLY. Stretch your hips up to the sky as you move your heels toward the ground. Also move your head and neck into the space between your arms. Get a book at the library if you can't imagine this.

It may take 3-4 months of daily stretching, 10-30 seconds at a time, to get your feet flat. Once you do, you may not have much more pain.