Your feet hurt with every step, but you’re not sure why. It could be that you have fallen arches, also known as flat feet. (Normally, your arch is slightly elevated but in people with fallen arches, it is flattened). The condition called fallen arches is characterized by a collapsed instep that comes into contact with the ground. Each of your feet contain 26 bones, with 33 joints and a complex of interconnecting tissues, including muscles, tendons and ligaments (more than 100 in all!). They all work together to form your arches which are designed to distribute your body weight with every step you take. Your arches must be flexible, yet strong enough to adapt to a variety of conditions and surfaces. In some people, their ligaments aren’t tight enough, which can cause the arch to “fall.”
Symptoms of fallen arches may include a flat look to your feet when you are standing, lower leg pain, and pain and swelling on the inside of your ankle. Some cases of fallen arches are hereditary, and others may be caused by external factors, such as poorly supporting footwear.
Recently, the news media reported that wearing a certain type of sheepskin boots has been linked to fallen arches, which can lead to “significant problems with the foot, the ankle, and ultimately, the hip.” In the article, the question was…
Posted On: April 18, 2010
