Do I need arch-supports?

December 16, 2008, Cindy Tan, Senior Physiotherapist

"Hi, I had thought you only needed arch-supports for your feet if you have flat feet. I checked with the wet footprint test and found no sign of flat feet. But a friend recently said that he has heard of people with flat feet feeling better with arch-support. Should I get one? What is there to support if you already have an ‘ok’ arch in your feet? I don’t get it. Please advise." – Toh K.L.

Hi K.L,

Yes, unfortunately it is a common misconception that only people with flat feet need arch-supports or foot orthotics. Before we clear up the misconception, let us first understand the two functions of foot orthotics – to re-align the foot and ankle bones, and to restore foot motion (foot biomechanics).


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When a foot is in motion, either walking or running, it goes through a sequence of motion. In an ideal situation, when your foot lands on the ground, it rolls inwards (pronates) on the big toe side with the arch flattening a little to absorb the shock of the foot-fall. As you begin your next step, your foot rolls back towards the center (in a neutral position) to allow you to push off from your toes, more or less evenly across all the toes.

When someone has flat feet, they tend to roll inwards too much when their foot lands on the ground. This is known as over-pronation. Because the foot over-pronates, it doesn’t roll back to the neutral position quickly enough as you begin to push off for your next step. This mis-aligned foot-fall affects the position of the lower leg, the knee, thigh and hip so that the force of your foot-fall is not absorbed in the best possible way. Some part like your lower back may bear more strain than it should, leading to back pain.

However, there are other reasons why someone over-pronates or why they are not able to return to a neutral position for the push-off phase; wrong gait, improper footwear, muscle imbalances in the leg not helping the foot to return to neutral quickly enough, or even over-training where the muscles in the foot are exhausted and are unable to function properly.

Therefore, even though the wet footprint test showed no sign of flat feet, it does not necessarily indicate that you have normal foot motion or foot biomechanics. I would advise that you seek further assessment or do a gait analysis with a sports physician, physiotherapist or a podiatrist to determine if you need any foot orthotics fitted.

Related posts:

  1. Orthotics for Achy Feet
  2. Plantar Fasciitis – Pain In The Heel!
  3. Osteoarthritis Knee
  4. My bunion is stopping me from running! Help!
  5. Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome


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This work by Musculoskeletal Consumer Review is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Singapore License. This article was contributed by Core Concepts - Musculoskeletal Healthcare Group. In the spirit of promoting health education, you may copy, distribute and transmit the work under the conditions specified by the license. For articles re-printed with permission, copyright remains with the original copyright holder (author or publisher). MCR's Creative Commons License does not apply in such cases.


Filed Under Ankle & Foot (NonSport), Ankle and Foot, Have A Question?, Peripheral (NonSport) 

Comments

  • Like the article. I have found that it is also important to rehab the Windlass Mechanism. (how far the big toe can dorsiflex or bend). Backwards walking with extra care to keep the foot from flaring and activate the gluts. is a great way to start. Also yoga, especially warrior 3 is a great proprioceptive and post tibialis work out and should help control over pronation. I have found that I have been using my orthotics less. Yee Ha!!!

    Great Sit,
    Dr. Ratcliffe, DC DACRB
    Diplomat Rehab
    http://novachiro.com
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