What flat feet do to your knees, hips and back
Why the arch drops, where the pain goes, and what the evidence says about arch supports.
Whenever I power walk or walk fast, my ankles start to really hurt and I mean, it hurts so bad that I start to limp. The pain eventually goes up my leg. Can anyone tell me what the cause is, why and what I can do please?
Left on one of our ads last month. We get some version of this every week, so here is the answer.
WHAT THE ARCH IS FOR
Your arch works as a springboard and a shock absorber. It stores and releases energy every time you take a step.
That matters because the force of walking has to go somewhere. A working arch absorbs it. A flat one passes it upward.
WHY THE ARCH DROPS
Arches flatten under load. The more time you spend upright, the more load they take, and the less they spring back.
The Cleveland Clinic lists flat feet acquired in adulthood as more common with age, and notes it more often affects women. It is also more common in people who spend long periods on their feet.
Once the arch sits lower, it does less of the absorbing. Everything above it does more. That is why this tends to get worse rather than stay put.
WHERE THE PAIN SHOWS UP
Early on it is local. Foot pain after walking, ankle pain from the foot rolling inward, aching arches by the end of the day.
Then it moves. When the arch flattens, the ankle rolls inward, the knee pulls out of line to follow it, the hip tilts, and the lower back compensates. Cleveland Clinic lists knees, hips and lower back as sites of referred pain from flat feet.
This is why scans on the painful joint often come back clear. The joint is not damaged. It is carrying load the arch is supposed to absorb.
Being massively pronated, these have made a big difference to knee and hip aches
I noticed my foot turning in when walking so I bought these insoles wow! what a difference they make, I definitely recommend buying them this is my honest opinion from an ordinary lady
Be wearing mine for 3 weeks now, I can feel a difference l ankles and knees are more aligned not sure if the pain in my hip has decreased a lot but I am walking a bit better
I received mines on Saturday and started wearing them on Sunday what a difference they make. Not cured I will add but big difference
Comments left on our ads. Unedited except for surnames.
WHY MOST INSOLES DO NOT HELP
Take any cushioned insole and press it with your thumb. If it gives under your thumb, it gives under you. Under load the foam compresses and the arch keeps dropping. It drops onto foam instead of onto nothing.
Custom orthotics have the opposite problem. They are rigid, which is correct, but they are moulded to the arch as it currently sits. That is the collapsed position. Firm support, wrong shape.
Obviously I’d want to see them in real life but if they are as they look on screen and offer the support as claimed, then yes, they will help and they are a really good price. (Podiatrist)
They are very well designed orthotics devices. Even better to some NHS devices I have tried out. Keep up the good work.
WHAT AN ARCH SUPPORT CAN AND CANNOT DO
Worth being straight about, because the internet is not.
An arch support does not correct the shape of your foot. The Hospital for Special Surgery states it directly:
A boot, brace, or orthotic has not been shown to correct or even prevent the progression of the foot deformity.
Hospital for Special Surgery
What they say it can do is “alleviate symptoms and may slow the progression”.
So the goal is not a cure. It is holding the arch closer to where it should sit while you stand on it, so less load reaches the joints above.
WHAT STEADY STEP INSOLES DO
A reinforced arch structure that holds its shape under full body weight, all day, without flattening the way cushioning does. The Slim model fits any shoe with a removable insole without changing the fit.
THE FIRST TWO WEEKS
Day one feels firm, and for some people the first week is uncomfortable. That is the arch being held where it has not been held in years, and it is the most common reason people give up early. Worth knowing what it feels like first.
I started wearing steady step insoles about a week ago, and I’ve noticed my usual aches and pains (old knee injury, foot pain, etc) are a bit more flared up, but incredibly I feel better walking about. I’m standing up straighter, my left foot which has gone out to the side since I was a child is now starting to fall in line with the other, and my shoes are more comfortable. I understand the discomfort will start to fade over time, at the moment its about the same as a cramp or dull soreness, nothing too severe, so well worth making it through for the benefits. Thank you for making a sensible alternative to gel insoles.
Years of problems and although painful for the first week. End of the 2nd week now and my feet and knees are much better.
WHICH SHOES
The arch collapses in every pair you own, so one pair covers part of your day.
These are brilliant...I’ve tended to go over for years and my knees are bad. I thought I would try them for a couple of hours but the improvement is just wonderful I never take them out. and I feel good all day..I only bought 2 but I need them in all my shoes
I’ve 2 in each boot. Really has taken the pressure off. years of warehouse work. I’m in my 60s and will be able to carry on working for a few more year’s. because of these.
Most of the above happens inside a month. The guarantee runs sixty days, so there is time to find out either way. If nothing changes, send them back for a full refund. Over 15,000 people have made the switch.
Individual results vary. Steady Step insoles are a supportive footwear product and are not a medical device or a substitute for advice from a qualified clinician. If your foot or joint pain is severe, worsening, or follows an injury, speak to a healthcare professional.