Let me guess: You’re looking for the best flat feet exercises. You were probably told that you NEED to do exercises to get rid of your flat feet? In this article, we will look at whether there is any truth to this statement.
Content
Background – “Ideal Feet”
To this day, many people believe that individuals with flat feet have an increased risk of injury during sports and everyday activities.
This mindset has existed for quite a while but became popular again in the 1970s due to Root et al. (1977), who spoke about the concept of “ideal feet.”
They established 8 criteria that must be met to have “ideal feet.” If your feet do not meet these criteria, they are considered abnormal, less efficient, and more prone to injuries because your musculoskeletal system has to compensate—this was their theory.
This theory then became more or less standard in the training of therapists and trainers, who then passed this belief on to their patients.
Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s talk about whether flat feet cause pain or injuries.
Do Flat Feet Cause Pain or Injuries?
However, if we look at the current data on what Neal et al. (2014) and Dowling et al. (2014) have found, we arrive at an interesting conclusion.
There is no significant evidence that there is a connection between foot position and issues such as Achilles tendon pain, knee pain, stress fractures, shin splints, etc.
In some of the included studies, a correlation between shin splints and flat feet was observed—but the effect was not strong.
This raises the question: how can anyone make such claims when there is no substantial evidence? Such unfounded statements cause unnecessary fear among many people. And we know that fear can lead to an increase in pain and make it last longer.
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Is There a Difference Between Athletes and Non-Athletes?
It doesn’t seem so. The studies I just talked about were mostly looking at non-athletes. But here is also a very recent review by Peterson et al. (2022) who looked at athletes.
They analyzed data from over 3,000 runners and concluded that the typical biomechanical assessments (such as foot position) are NOT related to injury risk.
Regarding the term “normal” feet, I think Kirby summarized it very well in his study:
“Very few individuals have feet and lower extremities that can be considered “normal” under the relatively strict definition proposed by Root et al. As the criteria for normalcy established by Root et al. are too restrictive”
– Kirby
Moisan et al. (2023) even go a step further in a study, and I completely agree with them. They argue that this widespread belief in “abnormal” feet often leads people to undergo unnecessary treatments.
Moreover, they describe how these overdiagnoses can lead to physical and psychological harm, as well as cost unnecessarily high amounts of money.
Instead, we should get rid people’s fears and point out that flat feet are just a normal anatomical variation of foot position!
Is Foot Analysis Completely Unnecessary?
No, it is not.
Even though it has been proven that flat feet pose only a minimal risk for musculoskeletal injuries, it is sometimes necessary to assess foot shape in research or clinical settings.
For example, an acquired flat foot can be a sign of advanced stages of an issue with the posterior tibial tendon. In this case, evaluating foot shape is crucial to determine the extent of the injury and monitor its progression. However, this applies only to a small fraction of people with flat feet.
Are Flat Feet Exercises Unnecessary?
The answer, as is often the case, is: it depends.
If you currently have foot pain and find the exercises beneficial, feel free to continue doing them! Even if it reduces your pain by consciously strengthening your arch through targeted foot training, definitely keep that up.
If your flat feet bother you aesthetically—same story: do the exercises!
And it’s always a good idea to strengthen the foot muscles for overall performance.
Now comes the big BUT.
If these things do not apply to you, then you don’t need to do exercises for flat feet. And you also don’t need to worry about developing pain or problems if you don’t do any exercises.
And just as a side note: some of the best athletes of all time have flat or super deformed feet. Usian Bolt and Lebron James are just two very well known examples.
You know what people also stress about a lot? Activating your glutes. If you want to know how to activate your glutes properly, then check out this article now.
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Literature
- Dowling, G. J., Murley, G. S., Munteanu, S. E., Smith, M. M., Neal, B. S., Griffiths, I. B., Barton, C. J., & Collins, N. J. (2014). Dynamic foot function as a risk factor for lower limb overuse injury: a systematic review. Journal of foot and ankle research, 7(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-014-0053-6
- Kirby K. A. (2000). Biomechanics of the normal and abnormal foot. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, 90(1), 30–34. https://doi.org/10.7547/87507315-90-1-30
- Moisan, G., Griffiths, I., & Chicoine, D. (2023). Flat feet: deformities or healthy anatomical variants?. British journal of sports medicine, 57(24), 1536–1537. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107183
- Neal, B. S., Griffiths, I. B., Dowling, G. J., Murley, G. S., Munteanu, S. E., Franettovich Smith, M. M., Collins, N. J., & Barton, C. J. (2014). Foot posture as a risk factor for lower limb overuse injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of foot and ankle research, 7(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-014-0055-4
- Peterson, B., Hawke, F., Spink, M., Sadler, S., Hawes, M., Callister, R., & Chuter, V. (2022). Biomechanical and Musculoskeletal Measurements as Risk Factors for Running-Related Injury in Non-elite Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies. Sports medicine – open, 8(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00416-z
- Root, M. L. (1977). Normal and abnormal function of the foot. Clinical biomechanics, 457-459.
