Thread jacking posts are strongly discouraged and run the possiblilty of being deledted...The above two posts will most likely be deleted after 24-48 hours.
There are lots of running shoes which are meant for people with flat foot who overpronates. These shoes, known as Motion Control shoes, are very firm, and they provide extra support to prevent your feet from rolling in as you're running. If your friend chooses his running shoes correctly, he wouldn't be at any disadvantage while running cross country. However, badminton is a different story. There are no badminton shoes (at least I haven't heard of any yet) which prevents your feet from pronating if you have flat foot. It probably is fair to say that badminton players who are flat footed will be at a much more disadvantage from runners who are flat footed. (unless a special pair of orthodics has been ordered from a Pediatrisian) By the way, here's another note of interest. While we're in the topic of comparing running and badminton, note that in running, if you're flat footed runner who overpronates, you have a very high chance of suffering from various running injuries (from achilles tendenitis to runner knees) if you don't wear a good pair of running shoes that prevent you from over pronating. But from all the discussions above, it seems that in badminton, people who have flat foot do not have a higher probability of receiving injuries while playing badminton.
I have normal arches on my feet and I don't think being flat footed is a handicap. Have a question though... Do any of you also get callouses from playing? I've developed ones under my big toe and the balls of my small toes. How do i prevent this? Socks? Shoes? Sorry to digress...
I am definitely flat-footed and I always thought it was because I was too heavy as a kid and just weigh myself down so the arch disappeared. anyway, being flat-footed for me just means I have to train my leg muscles a little more to compensate for it. I think that is why I have an abnormally large calf and shin when compared to other people.
Bruce Lee had flat feet For the flat-footed people, you might like to know that Kung Fu Legend Bruce Lee had flat feet (he was also exempted from military service because of this) and his athletic ability was legendary. I used to think that I myself have flat feet as well, but the wet test indicates my feet are normal. Nevertheless, my arches are very shallow and I don't run as fast as my friends who have higher arches. Since we're talking about feet, I wonder if anyone develops corns or calluses after a badminton session? I have very skinny feet and my big toes tend to develop corns after a badminton session. Does anyone know how this can be prevented? My shoes fit very well and are very comfortable (YY SHB89) and I wear Thorlos padded socks.
i've feet that r rather flat too. but that doesn't stop me from playing badminton and it's not really true that one will experience pain on his feet (flat) after rigorous or continuous exercise. has to depend on ur threshold of pain too. in some of my country's army cases, those with severe flat feet are given less-demanding postings... but most of them go thru the same kind of training too. anyway, i myself had taken part in half-marathons before and i see no prob with it. btw, to test whether u have flat feet. go to any swimming pool, go dip ur feet in, then put in on the concrete surface besides the pool... u will witness for urself as to whether u possess total flat feet or not. if the whole feet area is wet, u are most likely to be one.
Oh yes I am My feet look just like the one in the picture showing the inner foot. Real Flat. You can't even slide a paper under it. What Arch?!?
then sad to say, u really have flat feet. but that shouldn't stop u from daily rigorous activities... does ur feet give u any significant movement problems?
i know that i'm flat footed, but, as a junior i was one of the top long jumpers in the country. 6.30 metres when i was 14 yrs. i think that flat footedness (for me) increases muscle fatigue, so if ur really fit, then im guessing u wouldnt feel any problems.
arches and pronation im from california and i work at the athlests foot we have a machine that tells you if you have high arches or flat feet and it tells you if you pronate(roll in when you walk or run) or suppenate(roll out).then if you roll in you want a shoe that has a stability post on the inside, its a grayish colored hard dense foam on the inside of the shoe what it does is it controls the motion of rolling in and forces you to walk or run straight. A lot of time ill have pediatrist(foot doctor) recconmend high arch insolse for people with flat feet , at first it may feel quite uncomfortable because it feels like something is poking your foot but it builds up your arch and then you get used to it .
"Podiatrist" & "Orthodicts" If you find that your feet has no arch (aka flat-footed) or a high arch, it is best to go see a foot specialist a "Podiatrist" (pod as in foot) who will recommend a custom built in-sole for your shoes (these are not the same as the ones off the shelf). The Podiatrist will make a cast of your feet in a "neutral position", and then create a rigid to semi-rigid in-sole for your footwear. Each pair or orthodicts are made specifically for dress shoes (ex/ women hi-heels), everyday walking shoes, athletic footwear, etc. because the support of the in-sole depends on the level of flex required and the activity. At first, it will feel like a rock in you shoe, but after a few weeks/months, you don't even notice it until you take your shoes off and walk around bare feet. Wearing the orthodicts during badminton did not decrease my level of play nor decrease my mobility. This process is not cheap, and it will depend on if you are a youth and your family's medical coverage. If you are still growing (a youth), you may need a pair of orthodicts every year, otherwise every two years for an adult, or based on your level of wear & tear on the in-soles. When I got my feet first casted, I got 2 pairs at a cheaper price. The only time I notice it is when I get a new pair of badminton shoes and it takes 3-6 sessions before the orthodicts is firmly seated into the runners.
Orthodicts I forgot to add... The orthodicts can be easily taken out from one badminton shoe and slipped into another, it is not permanently placed in one shoe.
what effect does the custom orthodicts have? does it "heal" the flatfooted-ness? or just more comfortable?
i think it is the latter. orthodicts would help redistribute the stress profile of the subject foots to conventional shoes.
More the second, it basically minimises the amount of overpronation of your foot relieving stress on the foot/ankle/ligaments in the area (if you want a detailed explaination of why overpronation is bad look it up or read the rest of this thread). Why are custom ones better? When you first start, you usually get an orthotic that is molded to your foot but only raises the angle slightly as Break-My-String said at first they are damn painful (in most cases) and you can't handle a complete correction (assuming you have really flat feet (like me )). Then you either get your first set modified, or get another set with a better angle. In my case it has healed the effect of the flatfootedness to a certain degree ... PS Flat feet have been shown to case serious neck and back problems in fact getting orthotics a couple of years after I first got mine clear up a lot of my dad's neck problems.
Note, I can't emphasise enough though at the start it will be incredibly painful. When I first got mine I was 16 and after about two weeks they hurt so much I gave up on them and stopped wearing them. I only started wearing them again because I realised that I couldn't even stay standing without pain when I was shopping with my gf (though it was a good excuse to get out of it ;P) so I started again. If this thread has convinced you to get orthotics, well you'll probably hate us for a month or two and think we're just sadistic, don't say I didn't warn you PS when you first get them, I don't recommend playing baddy in them, give your feet time to get used to them before you try that.
Here ! Here! Don't try playing badminton with your first set of orthodicts until you are very comfortable in them (ie/ you don't even notice you are wearing them). The one down-side of wearing orthodicts (as I had posted earlier) is, at home, I don't wear shoes in the house, so you don't get any support. You may need to get a new/clean shoe for "in-house" use only. The orthodicts is about 2/3 the length of your foot, it basically starts at the ball of your foot and goes to your heel, there is nothing under your toes. When you start buying new shoes, you will need to try the shoes on with the orthodicts, and try shoes starting a half size larger than usual. Yes, that means most of your existing shoes will no longer fit.
Based on what expert say.. let it be natural if you are a flat footed. Its not so good to wear ortodicts.. it will make your hips and spine unbalanced.
