Collapsed Foot?

Question

I just ran at a national meet, and the night before there was a kinesiologist working on people. He asked if i had been running well, and i told him i hadnt.(ive had a awful year) He said he saw reason i wasnt. He said my feet were collapsed. Probably causing my knee pain and bad running. He recommended inserts from him. I cant find anything about these so can anyone give me any truth to this and anyone else have this problem or had the inserts.

Answer 1

He's talking about pes planus. Flat feet. It's where the medial arch (the inside part of your feet) has collapsed. That arch is a spring that allows to absorb and expel energy, it also protects the rest of the body from impact shock. Since the arches collapsed, it rotates the feet a bit, causing rotation of the knees where you feel your knee pain. So, how do you fix this?

1. Take your shoes and socks off. Place a pen/pencil on the floor. Use your toes to try to grab it. Do this 30 times, 3 times a day. This will strengthen your feet muscles to restore some of the arch.

2. Get orthotic arch supports. Try the cheap ones in your local pharmacy. Cost $15-20. After a month or so, you should feel a lot better. Afterwards, get custom orthotics for more effective result, consult with a podiatrist to get them.

3. Consult with a chiropractor who specializes in feet after 2-3 months with orthotics. You need the bones realigned in the arch to properly restore the arch. Orthotics only provide support, they cannot fully restore the arch. Think of it like a supporting brace underneath an arch bridge. You need to fix the arch itself.

Answer 2

Well I am not a runner, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Two years ago I started to get severe acute lower abdominal pain, enough to take the legs away. After a trip to Doc and then ER, they located zero. I then came on the Internet, had a MRI and hey presto, collapsed Disc! Later that year I lost the sensation to my right leg-foot. The muscles were fine but sensation zero, stick a pin in and no OUCH! Back to PT and they noted that my feet were out of alignment by four degrees inwards? Therefore they gave me temporary insoles to correct the problem. If you like I was 'walking' on the inside, big toe, arch, heel side of both feet, rather than flat, using all the foot. In hindsight, IF this problem had been picked up earlier, then chances were my Disc would not have collapsed. My suggestion you seek the assistance of a Podiatrist, see what they say.