Everyone’s feet are different. Some people have low arches, others have high arches, while others have no arch at all. Those with no arch or a fallen arch may be dealing with a condition called flat feet. Flat feet occur when the soft tissues that help to create our foot’s arch end up loosening and weakening, causing the arch to fall.
It’s not uncommon for patients to experience a mild flattening of their foot arch as they get older due to stress and strain over the years, and it’s not really a cause for concern unless it’s accompanied by symptoms like pain, Achilles tendon soreness or other foot issues. But is there anything that can be done to prevent this natural arch flattening, or is flat foot something you just need to accept? We explain how flat foot can be prevented in today’s blog.
Preventing Flat Foot
Like almost all health conditions, there are a number of things you can do to greatly reduce your risk of developing flat foot, but it’s not completely preventable. Genetics and natural aging can increase your risk of developing flat feet, but you can combat these risk factors by taking a few steps of your own. Here’s how you can try to prevent flat feet.
Maintain An Ideal Weight – The more you weigh, the more stress you put on your feet with every step you take. Over time, all this added stress can serve to wear down the tight tissues that help to form your arch. Maintain an ideal weight, and your likelihood of symptomatic flat foot drops significantly.
Exercise – Exercising not only helps you maintain an ideal weight, but it can help to strengthen the supportive tissues in your foot arch. For best results, avoid only pursuing high-impact exercises like running. Work in some low or no impact exercises, like walking, cycling or swimming.
Wear The Right Shoes – Shoes can help to take stress and pressure off our foot arch, so make sure that you are wearing the right shoe for the occasion. Comfortable and supportive shoes that are designed for the activities you’ll be performing can help to keep your risk of flat foot low.
Manage Your Diabetes Risk – Diabetes can cause a number of different issues for your body and your feet, including increasing your risk of foot arch changes. Exercise regularly and maintain an ideal weight to reduce your risk of diabetes. If you are a diabetic, be vigilant about managing your blood sugar levels.
Give Your Feet A Break – Finally, make sure that you give your feet time off between activity. Regularly stressing your feet without giving them time to heal from this trauma can weaken the supportive soft tissues that make up your foot arch. Mix in some upper body exercises instead of always running, and avoid overdoing it when it comes to sports without giving your body enough time to recover.