the arch of my foot 'falls in'. I wear supports in my shoes and bandage my foot but it still happens.?

Answer 1

Ouch. How long has this been happening? Do you have diabetes? If so, your sugar levels have not been doing well, I suspect. If you don't have diabetes, this is probably some sort of muscular injury or disease (not to scare you). If using regular supports (meant to support the arch of your foot, notice) are not helping, then you need to see a doctor. Specifically, you need to see a podiatrist. Podiatrists specialize in treating the foot, and these symptoms are most likely pretty routine for a doctor like that. The arch of your foot is a muscle, so it may have been weakened through an injury or something like that. It may be a very simple problem that some foot excercises can fix, so don't freak out. Just make an appointment with a podiatrist in your area. In the meantime, make sure that you are wearing supports designed to support your arch--some support other parts of the foot, but not the arch. Also wear supportive shoes as much as possible, like tennis shoes (running shoes, Nikes, shoes like that). Those will support your foot more than flats or (heaven forbid!) heels. Good luck, and I hope your foot feels better! If it's just one of your feet, it's probably a minor injury and not a more overlying illness.

Answer 2

You have "flat feet" or fallen arches, and unfortunately there is not much to help with that except the use of shoe inserts or orthotic devices, strengthening nearby and supportive muscles and perhaps adjusting your gait to help alleviate the foot and leg pain you may experience.

I have them, and as a child my doctor had me doing all kinds of foot exercises and such, to no avail. I don't think anything will change the normal pattern and structure of your already grown feet.

Orthopaedic Physicians have recently begun saying that you should pay particular attention if one foot is flatter than the other. You may have a problem with the posterior tibial tendon which is the main tendon that supports the arch. Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, certain types of arthritis and athletic overuse can all contribute to this problem.

Answer 3

I've had the same problem. The doctors said I had flat feet and called the position of my feet 'over-pronated' or 'over-pronation' and I was instructed to get tennis shoes (Brand name was Brooks) from a store on 9th street in Durham, NC while I was at Duke University. That's been a while so I don't know if the store is even there any longer. Sorry.
At the store there was a Podiatrist who evaluated each customer. Maybe you can find something like this in your area. I hope so because it has really helped to align me and my wife. Thankfully we had the foresight to buy several pairs each as we knew that we would be leaving that area.

Best of luck!

Answer 4

Exercise training.
See an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in lower extremities.
You could always invest in the surgery to rebuild the arch with bone from the hip.