Collapsed Arches - Help Sought.

[Ray Singh]

I have a problem with my ankles and i am experiencing pain on a daily basis. I will try to explain.

Earlier this year i was able to work from home to a large extent. During this time, my appearance was the least of my concerns and i often wore slippers around the house due to the wooden flooring i have installed. The slippers were of very poor quality and i noticed that my foot especially on the left foot almost started rolling inwards, causing the arch to collapse. I can only explain it to the usual Ugg boot inward roll that you see on the high street.

Now when i stand, the left foot and ankle joint is very different to the right foot. The Left foot feels weak compared to my right.

I had a visual gait analysis done at a Asics store recently and they advised some supported trainers for sporting activites. When i wear these, i feel more comfortable. However, i have started to go back into the office and my 'work' shoes are less supportive. Today i have a nagging pain in my left ankle.

I have also noticed that i tend to cross my legs at my ankles a lot. I wonder if this is causing the problem too?

I have read about insoles for shoes, but wonder if these actually work? My thoughts are that they will work while the shoe + support is on, but what happens when you get home and take the shoes and support off?

Any help is appreciated.

[Lemmonie]

yes. I have exactly this.

You need orthortics. You can buy some off the shelf from say Boots which I have have but you can also see a proper podiatrist who can make some specificly for you but you would be looking at about £300.

I have proper decent trainers by Asics (sp?) for sports which is my biggest problem.

But as a lady I like to wear ridiculous high heels and other un-appriopriate shoes which dont lend themselves to Orthotics so i suffer.

[spikeyhead]

get thee to a physiotherapist

[RDMcG]

Lemmonie said:

yes. I have exactly this.

You need orthortics. You can buy some off the shelf from say Boots which I have have but you can also see a proper podiatrist who can make some specificly for you but you would be looking at about £300.

I have proper decent trainers by Asics (sp?) for sports which is my biggest problem.

But as a lady I like to wear ridiculous high heels and other un-appriopriate shoes which dont lend themselves to Orthotics so i suffer.

Same here. Get the proper ones where they actually take a mould of your foot. It makes a huge difference.

[996 sps]

Buy orthotics with caution seen some shocking ones given to decent gym/running bunnies. Make sure they are sport related as for some bizzare reason hard plastic orthotics are still being made, also avoid the ones which stop mid-foot as they are blister heaven when running or training.

[dave_s13]

996 sps said:

Buy orthotics with caution seen some shocking ones given to decent gym/running bunnies. Make sure they are sport related as for some bizzare reason hard plastic orthotics are still being made, also avoid the ones which stop mid-foot as they are blister heaven when running or training.

What's up with hard plastic (vitrathene if I remember)?

3/4 lengths are also fine. A few Leeds utd players have 3/4 length carbon fibre orthotics - similar properties to plastic items, they just last forever.

Lower limb kinematics are a very subjective and little understood science....little understood by me that is It's more of an art that a science actually. I have great difficulty getting my head around the theories behind why foot orthotics do or don't work.

Just stick a banana skin in your trainers. There's no published evidence that this will be less effective than a £500 bespoke fibreglass orthotic.

I'm a Podiatrist btw.

Oh and go see your GP. If you have one where you live you should get referred to the Podiatry dept who will be able to provide you with something to support your arches.

Edited by dave_s13 on Wednesday 15th September 22:48

[Parsnip]

Orthotics are the way to go - I have really flat feet and have had custom ones for about 10 years and they make the world of difference.

I got mine though the NHS, but it was a battle, and took forever, so it may be worth going private - the NHS procedure is a GP referral, then put up with them giving you off the shelf ones before they finally cave and get the custom ones made - even then the time between casts being taken and you actually getting the orthotic is fairly long.

I do a fair bit of distance running, and found I needed a different pair - can't remember what I ended up paying, but it was a fair whack - so if you are planning on doing sport, it is something to consider.

It depends on the severity of your condition, but for me, I always buy a neutral type running shoe and rely on the support from my insole - it is made for me, rather than what the shoe company determines as a "flat foot" A more supportive shoe will probably help you but at the very least, a consultation with your GP and a referral to a biomechanics expert can't hurt - go private if you want, it will probably speed things along. Off the shelf solutions will probably work for a lot of people, but having tried both, the custom ones are the pricey but worth it option.

[Parsnip]

996 sps said:

Buy orthotics with caution seen some shocking ones given to decent gym/running bunnies. Make sure they are sport related as for some bizzare reason hard plastic orthotics are still being made, also avoid the ones which stop mid-foot as they are blister heaven when running or training.

Yes and no.

I have the hard plastic type that stop mid foot in my day to day shoes - they give great support and have never had a blister from them.

In my running shoes I have a set of custom "sport" type ones - they almost certainly give less support cue to their flexy nature, but they do the job I need them for - I tend to forefoot strike when running, so need less arch support anyway - have ran marathon distance in them with no complaints - I severely doubt I would manage that with anything off the shelf, but have no desire to find out.

It depends what you need them for - my hard plastic ones go in my work boots and my mooching about trainers and are super comfy and make me walk like a human rather than Daffy Duck. Plus, they last forever, my running ones need replacing when the support starts to go on them, plus I need different levels of support when walking and running.

[996 sps]

dave_s13 said:

996 sps said:

Buy orthotics with caution seen some shocking ones given to decent gym/running bunnies. Make sure they are sport related as for some bizzare reason hard plastic orthotics are still being made, also avoid the ones which stop mid-foot as they are blister heaven when running or training.

What's up with hard plastic (vitrathene if I remember)?

3/4 lengths are also fine. A few Leeds utd players have 3/4 length carbon fibre orthotics - similar properties to plastic items, they just last forever.

Lower limb kinematics are a very subjective and little understood science....little understood by me that is It's more of an art that a science actually. I have great difficulty getting my head around the theories behind why foot orthotics do or don't work.

Just stick a banana skin in your trainers. There's no published evidence that this will be less effective than a £500 bespoke fibreglass orthotic.

I'm a Podiatrist btw.

Oh and go see your GP. If you have one where you live you should get referred to the Podiatry dept who will be able to provide you with something to support your arches.

Edited by dave_s13 on Wednesday 15th September 22:48

I m lucky that I now work next to a good Podiatrist and thankfully we have never issued out the half length orthotics, the guys were not getting on with them. Especially those completing high mileage.

Really suprised the gay ballers use them but is the average mileage 8 miles on the pitch? I know when I had my first set issued via the NHS they were not full length and blistered me within an hour of training so at that time no longer used them. I presume the NHS caters for those people who just need to be functional for day to day activities not high impact arduous training. Still stand by what I said earlier. If you dont believe me go for a decent run/walk for twenty miles in a hard 3/4 length orthotic and then try full length made with decent material.

[dave_s13]

like i said, it's very subjective. What works for one won't work for another. There' s no right or wrong (to a degree) really with orthotics.

[GMJ]

There is a good chance that your problem could be caused by an instability at the hip. Weakness in glutes medius and minimus will caused the knee to cave inwards. For the body to counter this problem the ankle must turn outwards. Hence your foot is over pronating causing the arch to collapse. Obviously, without seeing you I can't be sure but seek the advice of a good massage therpist, physio, or a persoanl trainer that knows what they are doing.

Edited by GMJ on Thursday 16th September 13:32

[arfur daley]

The rear arches collapsed on my Datsun. I fixed them with gaffer tape.

[cheeky_chops]

GMJ said:

There is a good chance that your problem could be caused by an instability at the hip. Weakness in glutes medius and minimus will caused the knee to cave in towards. For the body to counter this problem the ankle must turn outwards. Hence your foot is over pronating causing the arch to collapse. Obviously, without seeing you I can't be sure but seek the advice of a good massage therpist or physio.

This! - One of the PT's at our gym has a biomechanical qualification. I went to him getting pains all over my legs, knees and feet. He identified my feet pointing out (esp right), knee caving in, tight calfs/hamstrings/ITB's and weak glutes. Even after 1 session i could feel the diffence running

Whats the thoughts on using a sandel/fivefinger/minimalist shoe for walking to strengthen the foot/ankle?

[Beardy10]

Orthotics definitely. If you're anywhere near London these people are great http://www.profeet.co.uk/ They also do slimmed down ones to wear in work shoes.

You also need to see someone to help you with building up the right muscles/felcibility etc so maybe a physio is the right first stop and they can recommend someone for orthotics.

[Wing Commander]

Beardy10 said:

Orthotics definitely. If you're anywhere near London these people are great http://www.profeet.co.uk/ They also do slimmed down ones to wear in work shoes.

You also need to see someone to help you with building up the right muscles/felcibility etc so maybe a physio is the right first stop and they can recommend someone for orthotics.

I will second this. Profeet were brilliant for me, on several occasions. Firstly, I couldn't run more than 2 miles without blisters. They created some orthotics for me and matched them to a pair of suitable trainers. Bang, no more blisters ever.

Second time, just before I joined the forces. I got them to make some insoles for my combat boots. They put extra cushioning in the heels so that the increased weight would be more comfortable. Again, they worked brilliantly.

I am looking to get another set made for my fiancee, but now that I live in Norfolk, I really cannot justify the bother and cost of going all the way into Putney, London.

Does anyone know of anywhere similar in Norfolk that would do this??

[Pickled Piper]

Go see a physio and/or a podiatorist. You can have the orthotics custom made. I have some (about £150).

If you have private health insurance so much the better.

pp

[Ray Singh]

I got some Scholl insoles from Boots in the end. They were just over £20.
They have worked a treat but felt strange when i first started wearing them. Now i cant wear a show without them as my foot feels loose within the shoe.

The pain has now gone.