Flat feet

[ben666]

I have flat feet and have known this since I was about 11 years old. I did special excercises for a couple months to help strengthen my ankles. And eventually the pain went away. I also got inserts to help with arch support in my shoes. Until recently my ankles have been fine, they just started to hurt again when I put pressure on them if i'm walking or running. If anyone has some suggestion on what I should do or if they need more info please tell me. I hope I can still do BUD/S with flat feet.

-Ben

[funeone01]

Hey man I know the feeling. I also have flat feet and just recently bought a pair of orthotics for arch support. Reason I bought them was because I've been getting horrible shin splints every time I run further than a mile (pathetic, but horribly painful as those with bad shin splints know). I did some research, saw a specialist and come to find out I do overpronate. I figured the orthotics ($450 btw) would help..wrong. Has not helped me at all..I think it may even cause the bottom of my feet more pain. On top of that I bought a pair of motion control shoes (brooks beast)..also hasn't helped.

I know this reply hasn't helped you at all, but if my horrible shin splint pain does go away, I'll be glad to post my success story and what changes I made.

-Mike

[Illmaxic]

never having been to BUD/S myself I can't really back up the truth behind what I'm about to say, but it is an assessment I have made nonetheless, so take it with a grain of salt... BUD/S is all about pain, and where you have it in your feet, someone else may have it in their back, or in their neck, or anywhere. BUD/S is about pain, and dealing with it, it's about not giving up and excelling and laughing in the face of adversity. If nothing helps the pain in your feet, I say f*ck it and go balls to the wall and get it done. Don't let anything stop you, no pain, no nothing.

[funeone01]

I never been to BUD/s myself (hopefully one day), but I can agree with that to a point. In all the research I've done on shin splints, I've never seen this question answered:
Does anyone know if constant running on shin splints will cause serious or permanent injury? Just shin splints, not stress fractures, because I know they can eventually snap your legs if you keep running on them.

*Sorry I know a little off topic from OP about flat feet, but post about pushing through the pain made me curious about if I kept running while in extreme shin splint pain.*

[jmikem825]

Shin splints are, as far as I know, caused by a tight calf muscle pulling on your shin. If this tightness continues and you continue to run on it, I think stress fractures are unavoidable. I'm not positive about that, but you might want to check with a doctor if you're experiencing a lot of shin pain.

[swannee3]

Can you still do BUD/S with flat feet though?

[snow85]

1. depends on the type of flat feet that you have. they'll tell you at MEPS.

2. "shin splints" is a generic term and is caused by a wide variety of things. there are many topics on this on nsc, so use the search feature to find them.

ben-- why are you assuming that your ankle pain is because of your feet, and not because weakness or muscle imbalance in your actual ankles or legs? btw, your "duh" moment:


I did special excercises for a couple months to help strengthen my ankles. And eventually the pain went away.


and yet you stopped with the exercises... why?

[autumn]

I have flat feet and have known this since I was about 11 years old. I did special excercises for a couple months to help strengthen my ankles. And eventually the pain went away. I also got inserts to help with arch support in my shoes. Until recently my ankles have been fine, they just started to hurt again when I put pressure on them if i'm walking or running. If anyone has some suggestion on what I should do or if they need more info please tell me. I hope I can still do BUD/S with flat feet.

-Ben

Not to deter you Ben, but with flat feet, you also need to be aware that you will be more prone to not only shin splints, but also plantar fasciitis. I would say keep with the inserts.. see a podiatrist.

[wrestler144]

would it really matter if you have flat feet but they don't bother you at all?
I've got flat feet and I haven't felt any pain from it. I have shin splints right now but I'm pretty sure it isn't from the flat feet its probably from the fact that I ran no less than three miles a day last week with other exercises to lose some weight for wrestling.

[kmonty33]

I never been to BUD/s myself (hopefully one day), but I can agree with that to a point. In all the research I've done on shin splints, I've never seen this question answered:
Does anyone know if constant running on shin splints will cause serious or permanent injury? Just shin splints, not stress fractures, because I know they can eventually snap your legs if you keep running on them.

*Sorry I know a little off topic from OP about flat feet, but post about pushing through the pain made me curious about if I kept running while in extreme shin splint pain.*

funeone- I had horrible shin splints back in high school from running track. My sophomore year I kept pushing it in practice and at meets and just dealt with the pain of the shin splints. I would go do rehab with the trainer before and after practice thinking it would be fine. WRONG! The shin splints quickly developed into stress fractures. I was out for the rest of the season. I couldnt comfortabely run for months and months after that. It took them a ling time to heal...

What the doc who gave me the MRIs and specializes in leg injuries and my school trainor told me that it was because I had big calf muscles and little muscle on my shins. This put a lot of stress on my shins and led to the injury. What I had to do was develop muscle and strength on my shins by doing these excercises:

-Try to pick a pencil or some small object up off of the floor with your toes
-Sit down in a chair and put your heels flat on the ground. One foot at a time tap your toes repeatedly on the ground (like 20 at a time) while keeping your heels on the ground.
-Stretch out your calfs a lot. WHo ever mentioned the tight calfs thing was right on. Loosen those muscles up to take pressure off of the shins.

Doing this helped me recover and I have not had shin splints or stress fractures since. It really helps alot. Try it out.

[ben666]

1. depends on the type of flat feet that you have. they'll tell you at MEPS.

2. "shin splints" is a generic term and is caused by a wide variety of things. there are many topics on this on nsc, so use the search feature to find them.

ben-- why are you assuming that your ankle pain is because of your feet, and not because weakness or muscle imbalance in your actual ankles or legs? btw, your "duh" moment:



and yet you stopped with the exercises... why?


I stopped the exercises because the pain went away. I didn't even think of what would happen in the future if I stopped doing the exercises. Obviously a bad move on my part.

[leahy_j]

i talked to my doctor about the same thing.. he said that shins splints are generally from the muscle imbalance, but he said it also can be from flat feet. i have flat feet and my doc referred me to a podiatrist, and said i'll probably need arch insert. i haven't seen the podiatrist yet, but my doc made it sound like arch inserts are the way to go. i'll post again after i talk to the podiatrist

[wnbfpro24]

Are arch inserts allowed at BUD/S?

[9007112]

I'm pretty sure I have flat feet, or very close. I bought a pair of boots and started running too fast too soon, I developed shin splints, I kept pushing till I couldn't crouch down without being in great pain, I decided to rest for a while and 2 weeks later like an idiot, I went running hard again...welcome back.

I did a couple of things that helped me, I stopped running in boots for 8 weeks and did a mile 3 times a week at a low pace barefoot, I bought bigger boots, I was wearing 12 EW, I bought 13 EW and the width is barely enough, but the length is pushing the limits so I make sure I wear the dive socks to stop any movement inside the boots which lead to ankle bruises/pain.

I also started running barefoot and landing on the balls of my feet instead of the heel, this initially put more stress on my toes, shins and leg muscles but I adapted pretty quick and when I run with boots I can definitely notice a major difference.

Exercises like lifting plates with my toes, doing frog leaps and landing on the balls of my feet, etc... all helped.

More info:

Several studies of soldiers explored the link between arch height and stress fractures. One study of 287 Israeli Defense Force recruits found that those with high arches suffered almost four times as many stress fractures as those with the lowest arches. One later study of 449 US naval special warfare trainees found no significant difference in the incidence of stress fractures among soldiers with different arch heights and another was inconclusive.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_feet#_note-Jones)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_feet#Diagnosis_and_Treatment

Feet troubles and solutions?

As for them things at the end of your legs your going to wish you never had them, running in sand is the best way I know to hard up your feet, also walk around in bear feet when you can. Put you boots on as if your going for a run, then go and stand in some very hot water, your boots will become softer and mould to your feet! Then go for a run doing this 2 or 3 times will helps. Your boots fit better!

http://home.hccnet.nl/22.sas/

http://www.podiatryonline.com/main.cfm?searched=/patient_care/handouts/stressfracture.cfm

Kmonty33's advice was pretty spot on too, basically you need to rest, probably more than you'd like to, sleep and eat well and start again slowly to avoid more injuries.

Hunting/fighting animals cannot afford to be injured.

[leahy_j]

yeah, fighting animals could always help, haha

[9007112]

yeah, fighting animals could always help, haha

"Fighting an animal a day keeps the stress fractures away, especially guerrillas and tiger armies..." :D

By hunting/fighting animals, I meant predominantly humans in this case, humans are in the Animal Kingdom, and they are hunting/fighting/predatory animals and in a hostile environment they cannot afford to be injured.

That was a funny twist nonetheless.

:D

[rsctt83]

I have low arches and run many miles each week. It is very important to select a running shoe that will work with your feet rather than opposed to them. By way of example I used Asics Kayano for years and would occassionaly get small pain in bottom of my foot that felt like a bunched up sock. What I came to find out was that Kayano was stiff shoe and I needed a shoe with a bit of flex along toe/heel axis. I switched shoes to different Asics model and pain went away and never returned. I use Super Feet insoles and have been using them for years as well. Typically the insert in running shoes are not very good at all.

I would recommend going to a running store that has sales people who are knowledgable in running, some stores such as Road Runner actually have a person who analyze your running style on treadmill and will give you a few options for running shoes. I understand boots are what they are but you can still use insoles for boots that are appropriate for your foot type.