I have been recently diagnosed with flat feet and low arches. I used to wear very good sneakers with very good support, and I had no foot problems. The type of shoe I wore is no longer made with the same level of support. I cannot find a good replacement. I am looking at orthotics, over the counter (Superfeet, etc) or possibly getting a customized orthotic. Only one foot is affected at this time. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Low arches or collapsed arches can cause knee pain as well. My foot pain is along the top of the foot, the metatarsals, towards the edge of the foot I have mild arthritis. The doc gave a topical cream. (Voltaren). My pulse is strong.
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For what it’s worth (ie possibly nothing), I’ve had flat feet my whole life and the supports, orthotics, insoles and so forth that I’ve tried have all caused me more problems than they’ve solved. I buy shoes and sneakers that either come in wide sizes or tend to run wide and I’ve done ok — some sciatica, some sore feet but nothing much out of the ordinary wear and tear of life. I’m not 100% convinced that flat feet by themselves are that much of a problem…but I hasten to add that I am in no way qualified to make that assessment. That’s just been my experience i.e. a sample size of one.
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It sounds to me like @typ1 was not born with flat feet, but more like a collapsing of the arch which can result in shifting bones causing things like bunions, hammer toes and Morton (sic) neuromas. I have the latter and also had surgery to correct a little toe with hammer toe.
My feet are the opposite of flat feet, high arch and instep. The podiatrist explained that too high and too low can lead to problems. In my case, my fore arch was collapsing. I can’t remember the brand, but they are quite stiff and look much like these in the link. Mine support the fore arch and have eased the problem with the neuromas.
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Thank you this. I also have high arches and have what I think is a ganglion cyst which makes wearing running shoes problematic because the cyst is located right below where most shoes place a stiff band for the shoelaces. Anyway. I don’t think there is any known cause or cure so i just try to live with it!
Btw, did you mean to include a link in your post @Luis3 as you mentioned s link??
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Duh! A senior moment, your pardon please. I’m not sure if these are the exact ones. Mine are quite rigid, and I seem to remember there were different shapes.
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I, too, have extremely high arches, and have always needed shoes with good arch support that don’t hurt my bunions. I’ve found 2 brands that work well. One is S.A.S shoes (San Antonio Shoe Company). Their leather is incredibly soft, but I have to use Spenco arch supports in them, as the S.A S. supports aren’t quite high enough for me. The other brand I’ve found that works quite well, with great arch support, is Ecco. You can order either brand online, but I much prefer trying shoes on, as it may take me several pairs, even of these two brands, to find one that fits perfectly.
If you live anywhere near greater Boston, there’s an Ecco outlet at the Wrentham Village Mall. I just paid only $60 for a pair that retailed for $159.
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I also have high arches. And I have suffered with plantar fasciitis for most of my life. I got arch supports made at a podiatric surgeon office and they were really great. I was a long distance runner for years, I abused my feet.
Then I got dupuytrens contracture in my feet and made it so the arch supports hurt too much now.
I got shoes that are one size too big. And extra wide. It is the best I can do because there is no treatment for dupuytrens of the feet.
I can hike and walk but running has to be limited to a mile or so.
There is not a one size fits all for feet esp when diabetes complicates it.
My podiatric surgeon told me there is no way he would operate on my feet because I am type 1 and the risk is too great. I suppose if it progresses and I can’t walk, I will have to re think it.
For now I do pretty well with just the right kind of shoe
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When I was young, I was constantly twisting my ankles when playing softball. My ankles got really weak. It looked like I had flat feet especially the one foot, because my ankle tilted so much. I ended up going to a podiatrist because they were hurting when standing on them any length of time. In my case, my feet weren’t flat, my bones weren’t even lined up right because the muscles had taken a beating. I tried arch supports in my shoes, also 2 different orthodics and??? Half the time it just created other issues. the orthodics of all things caused leg and back pain, they tried to adjust them and they still caused problems.
For some reason, Crocks. I had tried all sorts of different shoes, I had 4 different ones at work that I would switch between and go barefoot. I was on my feet for 12 hours a day. Instant easing of pain with Crocks. Maybe it’s because they give, they are bigger than your foot, or the ridging in them? I had shoes with bumps, sandals made from rubber, but something about Crocks!
Not saying they will help, my problem is/was different. But I still wear (real) Crocks to this day!
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Almost the only brand of shoe that works reliably for me. They last a long time. But aren’t inexpensive!
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In summer I like Teva and Chaco sport sandals.
ETA: In addition to good arch support, the toe area is the right width so that my toes aren’t squished.
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Yep, they are expensive. But between high arches and bunions, I’ve been paying a fortune for shoes all my life. And it’s rare that I can find shoes that fit me on sale. But if I do find something that fits, and they’re on sale, I buy more than one color if possible.
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One small additional data point. I’m on Medicare, and my endo some years ago told me I could one free pair of good shoes with custom-fitted orthotic arches each year paid by Medicare. I’ve done this once: got a very nice pair of fairly expensive shoes and three sets of custom inserts. I don’t know if you’re on Medicare, but if you are, this might be something to look into. It requires some serious 'scripting from your doctor.
–Keith
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Just went shoe shopping- oh my! I suggest brands:
ON
HOKA
These are athletic shoe companies. Both have wonderful customer service and will help talk through their styles and what might work. Great return policies too. On the pricey side, yet having no pain is priceless…
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When you see your podiatrist or whoever prescribes the shoes, they have to be sure to code your visit related to diabetes to get the shoes covered. I have 46 years of Type 1 but my feel problems are related to arthritis and that diagnosis code won’t get me free shoes or inserts.
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Several years ago my Podiatrist provided special diabetic brand shoes with orthotics, but required a note signed by my Endocrinologist and waived the Medicare co-pay on both the shoes and the visit for clipping my toenails.
Unfortunately he retired and his replacement now charges a $20 co-pay for the visit and sent me to a shoe specialist which charged a $40 co-pay for the shoes. Medicare also covers diabetic socks.
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Thanks for all the pointers. Got the orthotics. I am starting with them first.
These are the well-researched over-the-counter ones. Voltaren, the cream does not seem to be working for me.
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One thing, it does take some time to get use to them as the bones get back to where they are supposed to be. You might want to try them for a couple of hours at first, but don’t give up.
Hi typ1,
For what it’s worth, I’ve been a T1 most of my life and growing up I had good arches but over the years (I’m 73) my arches have fallen. Also, I’ve always had one leg about a half inch longer than the other which never resulted in a problem. I’ve gone to podiatrists for various things over the years and they all recommended (um…tried to sell me) orthotics. It’s understandable that they try to sell it because it’s an added source of revenue for them. After all, some retailer shoe stores such as Good Feet advertise them in their TV ads. My wife had bunions and they sold her on orthotics way back when, but she stopped using them after a while because they didn’t provide any real relief. I never agreed to buy them because I wasn’t complaining about pain.
Recently I went to a podiatrist for a callous on one foot that started hurting. The podiatrist treated my foot for the callous and relieved the pain immediately. However, she observed my body frame and measured my legs. I told her I already knew that one leg was longer than the other. Even though I didn’t go there saying I had a problem with one leg shorter by 1/2 inch, she said she had a solution for that - a wedge to put in my shoe (kind of like an orthotic just for the heel). It seemed to make sense, After all, my frame wasn’t equal for all of these years so why not get that corrected. So I agreed to buy it. Actually, I bought 2 just to have one as a spare. I started wearing it in my shoes. After 3 days I started getting strong pain in the opposite hip. Gee, did I have hip problems how? Uh Oh, was I suddenly needing a hip replacement. I decided to take that wedge out of my shoes. Immediately after removing the wedge from my shoes, my hip got better. Yeah, my frame might be a little off, however, trying to straighten my frame after all these years by putting a shim in one shoe might be what the podiatrist learned in podiatry school, but sometimes the cure can create worse problems, especially since I wasn’t complaining about that in the first place. As such, I’m a little skeptical of orthotics as a panacea. To a large degree, the medical profession has now started adding adjuncts to what used to be a narrow focus of what they provided (would you like your car detailed while you’re here for a dental cleaning?). Many health care providers now offer one-stop shopping that competes with pharmacies by selling vitamin supplements etc as you’re checking out.
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Everyone talks about shoes but never the source of the problems. Shoes in general, but especially anything with “support” weaken your feet, and feet that have grown and developed wearing shoes will generally be deformed in some way (such as my pinky toes both curve sideways and one even slips under the toe beside it). Think about what would happen with your hands if you put them in a cast for years, or better yet a powered glove to provide strength so that you hardly have to use your own strength. They would atrophy and become very weak, and also painful. Also, the arch is not intended to carry weight, which is why many people find the orthotics uncomfortable after some time.
While I go barefoot about 99% of the time unless I NEED shoes (i.e. the poison ivy in my back lot when clearing brush), I know many diabetics can’t so I won’t suggest that as an absolute. I can say that my feet have gotten way healthier from it, and my legs and back and such as well. And my arches have risen, although my feet are long and will most likely always be on the lower side when it comes to the arches, but I do not have any pain or issues related to that.
Basically you need to strengthen your feet. You can’t go from 0 to full on no support instantly though. Think about weight lifting, if you have never weight lifted you wouldn’t go in and try to immediately bench 300lbs. There are many foot exercise routines online that will help with strengthening. Even if you wear shoes nearly all the time the exercises will help. If you don’t have neuropathy or bad circulation in your feet you might try walking barefoot some as this works your whole foot like it was intended. It isn’t a miracle cure and everyone is different, but it will help in the long run. Just remember to take it slow and steady.
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I wear flip flops for everything except work. They are the most comfortable shoes. No pressure on the sides and my feet get air.
I used to use arch supports but now that I have duputrens in my feet arch supports cause a lot of pain.
My feet really don’t hurt too much this way, but if I want to run a little bit, I need to have running shoes.
Running in flip flops is kinda a bad idea.