That’s why the podiatrist might prescribe orthotics to treat your flat feet. Medically, this is known as over-pronation. This causes a torque in your knees, hips, and back. Therefore, the flat feet will force the tibia bone, aka the shin bone, to move and slightly rotate.

And what happens if a bone collapses? The one next to it will either move or also collapse, just like a domino row. The absence of a foot arch can be caused by the collapse of foot and ankle bones. This doesn’t only cause pain, but it can also lead to injuries in the long run. Therefore, squatting with flat feet will load nearly all the force on your knees, hips, and back. Absence of Shock AbsorptionĪs I mentioned above, the feet arches provide a room in which your feet can move to absorb some of the applied forces. In addition to the irritating discomfort, squatting with flat feet can be bad for your body. Risks Of Squatting With Flat Feet Flat feet can cause poor mechanics while squatting If the strip has nearly the same width as the forefoot, then you probably have flat feet. In normal feet, the strip should be roughly half the width of the forefoot. You should see the heel, the forefoot, and a strip connecting them. Then stand with your full weight on a flat surface that would show your footprint, like a concrete walkway. However, there’s an easy test that you can do to reach a quick diagnosis. Therefore, if you want to reach a definite diagnosis, you’d have to visit a podiatrist. It can permanently appear on your feet or manifest only during activity. Having flat feet can originate from different bones, muscles, and ligaments. I tried to simplify things so everyone would understand, but it’s not always that straight forward.

This may be due to weak muscles and ligaments or collapsed feet and ankle bones. Hence, this arch resembles a spring or a shock absorber.įlat feet, on the other hand, don’t have such an arch. This space allows the two masses to slightly move when you apply force. In normal feet, these muscles and ligaments should form an arch or space in the inner part of your foot. These two masses are connected with muscles and ligaments. Think about your foot as two big masses: the heel and the forefoot. It’s important to understand the condition before you can correct it. I’m going to illustrate this in the simplest way possible. I know what you’re thinking, we’re back to the boring biology class. Do You Have Flat Feet? This is what it looks like to have flat feet while squatting vs normal feetīefore deciding on whether you have it, we have to make sure you understand the basic anatomy of normal and flat feet.

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