eli5: Why are flat feet generally worse than arched feet, when you have more surface area making contact with the ground?
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Flat feet are a common cause of general musculoskeletal pain and problems. Your body’s balance begins in the feet; when the feet do not provide proper support, it can raise your risk for joint problems caused by poor posture and unnatural gait. Individuals with flat feet could be more likely to experience injury or pain in the feet, ankles, knees, or hips.
A condition called plantar fasciitis is more common in people with flat feet as well. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the tendons in the feet are overstretched. This condition causes severe pain in the feet, especially in the morning.
Flat feet tend to cause another condition called overpronation, which is when the ankles roll inward while you’re walking. This can lead to foot and ankle pain.
Because your feet are the basis of support for your entire body, having flat feet and overpronation can cause problems with your spinal alignment. You may notice that you also have problems with your hips, knees, and lower back.
Arches in our feet act like springs. When our feet hit the ground, our heel hits first, then the arches help with the forward “roll” to the ball. When you jump or move fast, the arches absorb energy that would otherwise impact the knees and spine. Flat feet don’t offer that support or rebound. The force travels upwards and can cause pain and other issues.
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The arch shape acts like a spring. In flat feet, there’s not much room left to flex. Without that shock absorption, more strain is put on joints through the ankles, knees, hips and into your lower back. Not a lot more, on the scale of things, but with as many steps as people take it adds up.
I have feet that are nearly flat. Because of that the soles of my shoes would break down quickly. Having firm arch supports under my feet make my shoes last a lot longer.
It has also to do with ankle and knee joint stability along with foot spring action.
People with flat feet tend to have ankles and knees which cave and knock inwards. This creates muscle imbalances and weaknesses that travel all the way up to lower back.
You’ll often see them complain of hip and back pain.
Arched foot creates a strong foundation for glutes and quads, the biggest and strongest muscles in your body.
As they say…the root cause of structural cracks on 6th floor actually arise from basement and plinth
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I roll my ankles a lot, when when I’m in flat shoes and walking on flat ground. I have to be very mindful of how I walk. I have flat feet. :/ are there exercises I can do to help this
Speaking as a goose (i.e got flat feet) I have bad posture by reflex due to my condition. My knees, hips and lower back take extra strain, not to mention the various chronic problems Im likely to have as I age because of it. There are ways to mitigate it though, and I have next to no complains myself, but my great grandparents who didnt treat this could barely walk in the senior years sue to flat feet (they legit walked like geese).
Also, feet are never truly flat. Think about an architectural arch. If the arch isn’t in the correct shape it can be worse than no arch at all.
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