Flat feet - almost flat feet???

[tiggerlover]

Can anyone tell me what it means to have almost flat feet? DS has been having some problems with his feet lately (we think due to the fact that we bought him new sneakers for school <Vans> that are not giving his feet enough support) and while in the shoe store today the clerk told my DH that DS's feet were almost flat. Could that be why his feet have been bothering him with the Van's? And what does one do for almost flat feet?

 

[laurietg]

My DH has been having a problem with his knee. He went to the doctor, and was told he has flat feet which could be the cause of the knee pain. The doctor told him to get orthopedic shoes. He still hasn't done this, but apparently it should make a huge difference.

DH is 42 and has not had problems until now, but maybe he was lucky. I think they have orthopedics in many styles now. Your DS will not be stuck with "ugly" shoes if you choose to buy them.

Good luck with everything!

 

[Sparx]

flat feet is where your arch touches the ground, along with your heel. So almost flat feet is where your arch is falling. I had a friend who had corrective surgery, and another friend who wore wooden arches in his shoes to correct it. Go to your doctor and ask him/her for a referal to a pediotrist (sp)

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It means you have no arch...if you are totally flat--on a pool deck..your feet prints will look like duck prints....

Also--your son could be over pronating..new shoes--when you look at them from the sole....you won't see the sides much....when they have been worn a lot--the same view from the sole..will look like the side is collapsed.

For me--unless I have custome orthotics...I really can't wear any supports---trying to put an arch that isn't there...just makes it worse for me.

My running shoes--are motion control shoes....and they are the first shoes in my life without the collapsed look when they are time to retire.

I shop very very carefully for shoes...and will not buy anything that causes any kind of foot pain. Sometimes a "wide" size will accomodate my flat foot.

 

[boo's mom]

I have flat feet. Ugly feet too. I hate feet in general My nanny always looks at my feet and says "you have some really flat feet there girl"...drives me insane lol

 

[becjlek]

My son has really flat feet. He wears sneaker molds in all of his shoes. It really helps. He has super narrow feet so he has to wear the women's sizes though.

 

[ducklite]

My husband has flat feet (quack, quack!), and has no problems with them at all. He wears the same shoes that anyone would. He runs marathons. Flat feet are not always a problem.

Anne

 

[aprilgail2]

I have them and wear orthodics in my shoes which help a lot with the pain. I have had them my whole life but my parents never took me to a foot Dr so they just got progressively worse over the years...

 

[sharbear]

My DS has very flat feet. For some reason his Van's hurt his feet also. My DD who doesn't have flat feet wears her Van's all the time and never complains that they hurt her feet (and I promise if they hurt I would know! LOL!).

He's been wearing running type shoes, he wears Asics but I'm sure any brand will do. They don't hurt his feet, I don't know if it is the weight of the Vans or what.

 

[Christine]

My son also has flat feet and I do to a lesser degree. Sometimes his feet will bother him. The doctor told me that many kids with his build (very long limbs) have this problem while young and as they age, the ligaments/tendons around the joints stiffen and will pull up the arch a bit. I think as a child, my feet were VERY flat but they did improve with age.

Anyway, we just discussed this at my son's last physical (he is 10) and the doctor told me to get a shoe for pronators and if that did not work, I could go to a podiatrist or orthopedist and talk about shoe inserts.

The funny thing is that even though my son's ankles roll in, he does not wear down the heel of his shoe on the inside. He still wears it down on the outside of the heel.

 

[Laurajean1014]

My DS9.5 was diagnosed with FF this past summer. The podiatrist wants him to get orthodics, but he won't wear them. They are uncomfortable to him. Also, they run from $200-400 for custom made and if he loses one.....yikes.

Vans hurt my son's feet, too! I never thought it was because they were such a flat shoe.

Also, did you know that it takes twice as much oxygen/energy to walk and run with FF than with arched feet? That's one of the reasons the military will not take FF enlistees.

 

[mountaineer]

My 6 year old has flat feet too. He never complains about any pain, his doc said if he did we could go to inserts. It really messes up his running gait. We have been working hard with him to learn to run on his toes. It's a more natural gait that way and he's a little faster. It's been hard to always be the last kid to finish a race. We've showed him how he works twice as hard to lift his foot up and place the whole thing down.

 

[ReneeA]

I've got really, really flat feet, too. It looks like both my kids are going to have them, too.

I've had some custom orthodics made before, but don't wear them like I should. I have problems like pain and arthritis in my feet (I'm only 32!) but I've also had some trauma to them on top of it, so I'm not sure which is a bigger factor.

My gramndmother had flat feet and had alot of ankle, back, and leg problems due to it. She was also very overweight which didn't help the situation.

A podiatrist will probably have some orthodics made or recommend some special shoes to wear. I'm not sure a teenager will find these "special shoes" especially attractive, though.

ReneeA

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks for all of your input, it has been interesting to read. Didn't find out until all this happened that my father had flat feet....something I never knew. Judging by some of your responses I would venture to say flat feet is probably hereditary. DS has always used regular sneakers, it wasn't until the Van's that we noticed a problem and we really didn't really notice it until he started soccer season again, he could barely run. We went out the other day and bought him another pair of sneakers and just after two days we saw an improvement in soccer. Hopefully over the next few days with the support he will be back to 100% once again.

 

[JerseyJanice]

My feet are fairly flat. I've found wearing Birkenstocks helps them tremendously. Not that I think your son will want to wear Birki's though...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My husband has flat feet (quack, quack!), and has no problems with them at all. He wears the same shoes that anyone would. He runs marathons. Flat feet are not always a problem.

Anne

He must not overpronate....you are right it isn't just the flat feet.

My ankles go in---and then I overpronate on top of that. Most of my shoes are normal--and I don't buy granny shoes. But with flat feet, gotta keep on our toes .

Tiggerlover--you are right it is hereditary--I got my dad's feet..but at least no this pigeon toes.

The other thing to watch--is that often times....I wear out my shoes more quickly....so watching out for the "collapse" on the side of the shoe.. And when the tread starts to wear...then it is time for a new pair.

My hubby is in the wear shoes until they fall apart club. For him that can be a year or more. He just found out he had flat feet and overpronated...so I'm going to police his shoes now .

This assumes daily/frequent wearing. For less frequent wearings, the shoes last longer of course.