Flat Feet
833
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1275 days
JamieM posted 3 years ago.
I've been running for a while now on fairly flat feet. The best advice I can give is to go to a good running store and get fitted for good shoes and/or orthotics. I used the Brooks Beast shoes for a couple of seasons and had very few issues though I'm now in the Brooks Adrenaline. Both were recommended by the local running store after having consulted with the staff there and I couldn't be happier with the advice they have given me. Not only on the shoes but on dealing with various aches and pains and such. It's a great resource to have.
175
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1227 days
Dkidd posted 3 years ago.
My sister and I have very flat feet. She has had issues with her knees because of the flat-feet. She had the Brooks adrenaline and had to soem discomfort on her knees and hips, she got some inserts and now can run with out any problems. a Sports Doc told her that her flat feet combined with begin a woman and the womanly hip alignement it would be hard for her to be a distance runner, she is still putting on the miles for a marathon with out problems. If you like I can find out what the inserts are she is using, just let me know.
125
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1169 days
bpcooper14 posted 3 years ago.
I've been running for years (former track athlete) and have a double whammy. I have flat feet and tend to pronate (pigeon toed). It's been my experience that orthotics work wonders but you have to make sure to get them fitted specifically for your feet. When buying shoes, I usually look for some that are advertised as cushioned/stability. This gives you support for your aching joints, and gives you the stability to try and keep everything in an anatomically correct position. I can tell a huge difference when I buy shoes if I buy the wrong ones for my feet. I'm never quite comfortable in them. A little side note would be, if you don't know exactly what you need, go to a running specialty store if you have one nearby. I'm about an hour or so away from Columbus, OH and there is an AWESOME store that I used to buy all of my trainers in.
[COLOR=Red]We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. :p
7
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1151 days
Stephania posted 3 years ago.
Thanks all for your replies. I do have custom foot orthotics, prepared by the foot doctor, that cost me a chilling $500 a pair. They are hard plastic, however, so I might have to splurge on the softer kind to absorb the impact.
I have frequented a local running store here that offers expertise and a liberal exchange policy: you can return your runners even if you have ran in them for a couple of months. So, I experimented with three different New Balance runners as they seemed to have worked a long time ago, but had to return them all. Oops. :)
I'll definately try out the Brooks shoes at a new running specialist store and some insoles other than my orthotics are worth a shot. Dkidd--I'll see what they've got for insoles at first. I've never looked at ones off-the-shelf before.
89
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1571 days
krbrownabq posted 3 years ago.
I'm in Brooks Adrenaline for the same reasons. Also have crappy bone protusions on either side of my feet - got bad feet from both sides of the family. I pronate like it's going out of style, but with the new Brooks, I have excellent motion control, no shin splints, etc.
And they're fairly lightweight for a stability/motion control shoe.
Kelli
7
Member
1151 days
Stephania posted 3 years ago.
I have bone problems, too - really high and pointy insteps that interfere with the lacing of my shoes. Usually I have to return shoes because of the pressure.
On the plus side, my feet are rather large, so I think this helps me swim!
175
Member
1227 days
Dkidd posted 3 years ago.
Stephania wrote:
On the plus side, my feet are rather large, so I think this helps me swim!
LOL
the insoles are from superfeet.com and the blue ones should be good enough since the Adrenaline already have support. If you need more support than that, get the green. But blue should be sufficient.
40
Member
1225 days
kddubb posted 3 years ago.
You might try running/doing drills barefoot sometimes. This usually strengthens the foot as a whole and helps correct misalignments and arch problems as much as is physiologically possible. You may also want to change your running technique and become a ball-striker instead of a heel-striker (if you aren't one already). This has a lot of benefits besides strengthening your feet. You should probably do this in the off-season. My wife (who has very flat feet) just started doing barefoot exercises and became a ball-foot runner this year and it really whacked her out for a while. However, now she is running without orthotics and without pain (4-6 months later).
7
Member
1151 days
Stephania posted 3 years ago.
Thanks for the tip!
With respect to those who recommended Brooks Adreneline -- I ordered a pair to try on, tried them on with my hard plastic orthotics and found them quite comfortable in the store.
But then the woman at the running shoe store told me she didn't think I should wear orthotics in a shoe that is already motion-control. She said I had to choose: motion-control shoe au naturelle, or orthotics in a regular cushoning shoe.
Her logic was that too much support would lead to shin splints, etc.
Does any one use both? (I see that some of you wear insoles, but I think those are soft, right?)
17
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1324 days
Jeff Davis posted 2 years ago.
Don't wear motion control+ orthotics, you're asking for trouble. The sales clerk is EXACTLY right. It will be too much support. I wore my brooks beast w/ my orthotics and almost crippled myself. The orthotic returns your foot to a neutral position so you don't need the motion control, just a regular neutral shoe. I use the orthotic + mizuno wave creation and have no trouble at all. I take the factory shoe insole out, put the orthotic in and giddyup! Hope this helps! :)
There are three kinds of people in the world: those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that wonder what happened...
7
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1151 days
Stephania posted 2 years ago.
Thanks for your input. The combo of both feels good in the store, but I'll heed your warning.
I still haven't bought any shoes; nothing is comfortable. I'll haven't tried any Mizunos. I'm so worried about hurting myself, I haven't bought shoes yet!!! I think, at this point, I might just settle for discomfort. I don't think I can get any permanent damage from a couple months of running, at least not directly.
:confused: Does anybody out there run with severely flat feet? I've been told that there are two kinds of flat feet: a "light" version of a collapsed arch, which can be improved through exercise (e.g. didn't Ronald Regan do this to get into the army?), and my kind, which I can do nothing about to improve but use orthotics.
My feet cause me to have ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, bad posture, etc. ,and so I'm wondering if it is even safe for me to run at all. I know running makes one prone to injury, but I don't want to cripple myself. Has anyone else found a way to deal their flat feet?
Thanks...