This is a really interesting subject for me as I studied this area for my degree dissertation. I am not flat-footed but developed patellar tendonitis because I collpase the arch of my arch my foot when lunging. Foot orthosis have been a real help to me. In effect, by building up the arch support in your shoe, you are creating anti-pronation badminton shoes. However recent research has suggested that if you are flat-footed, you should not try to correct this by the use of orthotics in your shoes. The assumption has always been that pronation causes internal rotation of the tibia, which in turn stresses the knee and hip joints. Research has been conducted that now supports the theory that the foot merely follows the actions of the tibia. Controlling pronation may therefore increase the resistance against tibial rotation and cause more stress of the tibia and knee.
Not true for me, as I was suffering from severe knee pain for years until I corrected my flat feet with orthotics last year. I used to wear heavy duty knee brace when playing badminton and always developed callus on my soles; and all my shoes had a pronounced wear on one side of the heel and I just couldn't walked for any extended period of time. I had to buy a new pair of badminton shoes every six months because my right shoe would always have accelerated wear on the insole. Since fitting orthotics I am no longer using any knee brace; I can now walk for hours without inflamed soles or callus and without feeling tired.
My 4-yr-old son is flat-footed I *love* this thread!! u all are nswering a lot of questions for ppl out here who know nothing of badminton but are curious about flat-footedness. Here's my question. I know my son is flat-footed. He's been seen by an orthopedist, and the findings were actually that not only are his arches flexible but that they - combined with his all-over flexibility - are indication of a gift... that "this kind of flexibility is what separates the really good athletes from the rest." But a year or so later, knowing that he has what i've always considered a cute little run, my mother pointed out that it's because of his flat feet. That had never occurred to me before! I don't care if he becomes an athlete or not. I only care that if he *wants* to be an athlete, that he can be. So with the doctor's ok, i don't do anything special for his feet. I just buy him expensive shoes from stride rite, basically the only place that sells wide sizes for kids, and try to find ones w/ good arches. Since u all are him years from now, do u suggest doing anything at this young age or just letting his little body develop naturally like i've been doing?
Why don't you ask your orthopedic surgeon if your son's feet overpronate more than the usual tolerances for flat feet, and if so, would he recommend any correction using foot orthoses for your son?
oh yeah im semi flat footed i guess...when i was a kid i dint hav flat foot at all....but now seems that im developing flat foots..man im afraid isnt there any excercise...to improve this thing?whats foot orthosis?
Foot orthoses are custom-made insoles to correct biomechanical leg and foot malalignment. To make a pair of foot orthoses you must first take a foot cast, which would usually involve casting by plaster of paris bandage, taking a foot impression and by computer laser scanning.
I have read the above posts (like crazy), but I still somewhat "guessed" that, since we are all wearing a badminton shoes (I suppose), would flat feet really matter that much? (I wouldn't say none, but I would "guess" (again) to difference is not huge) Once we arel wearing shoes, the force should be distributed evenly and nicely, isn't it? Then, now, is there still a huge difference when you jump? PS: I have heard that, flat feet people should not stand for a long time (say, 10 hours) because of risk of passing out. I don't know much about it, but that's just the "durability" issue......since we don't just stand there in badminton games, I guess that's not very important in here....
The ideal neutral position (biomechanically) for the foot is when the ankle is in neutral position and the plane of forefoot is parallel to that of the hindfoot. Flat foot usually means pronated foot which means it is not in an ideal biomechanical position. People with flat foot just get tired more easily than people whose feet are in an ideal biomechanical position. They also tend to get all sorts of foot problems like bunion, callus, metatarsalgia, leg tiredness, knee pain, heel pain and sometimes lower back pain. I will use a car's wheels and tires as an analogy. You may have your car fitted with new tires, properly balanced and inflated. If your car's front wheel alignment is out of alignment, analogous to foot malalignment, your new tires will not perform their best. In fact, your whole front suspension system will be adversely affected, resulting in heavy wear and tear and possible breakdown. Your new tires will also show uneven and pre-mature wear.
After my ankle injury for right foot, it became very weak. Doctor says it's because i put too much stress on it (playing badminton) while it was still injured and the tendons were loose. Hence, it became flat. Then i got those special insoles for correcting alignment etc. After a couple of months, i noticed arch higher, but my right knee is in great pain. If i had another chance, i wouldn't have gotten that. The knee hinders me greatly now, and if only...
Normally, people do not fit customized foot orthoses for an ankle injury or for any injury from sports, unless the injuries are caused by malaligned foot. Anyway, can you give more details about the special insoles that you used?
The custom made Orthotics are amazing. They're not cheap but they're really worth it. Several months ago, after a tournament I got a foot pain that I could barely walk but continued to play more because I wanted to train for another upcoming tournament but my foot hurt so much I had to stop. Went to see a doctor who told me to rest, when I rested the pain seemed to go away but it came back everytime I started playing again, so bad that I couldn't even stand for a period of time. It was very frustrating. Finally, I went to see a Podiatrist whom my friend recommended and guess what? my pain was related to being very flat-footed. He prescribed a pair of custom made Orthotics for my sport shoes (to raise my arch) and I wear them ALL THE TIME, it's now been 2 months since I first wore them and I've been playing for about a month now, the pain doesn't disappear overnight but it slowly goes away. I still have a little pain but that's nothing. I even played in a tournament last weekend and still okay with it.
You will see more improvement over the next 6 to 10 months. Based on my own experience I achieved optimum improvement after about 12 months. I used to be weighed down by heavy duty knee braces. I don't use them now. I cannot for the life of me understand why there are so many players, young and old, wearing knee braces, who never give custom made orthotics a second thought and who are seemingly happy with knee braces that don't really cure the problem. I think it is more a case of penny wise pound foolish.
Erm, I am very flat footed, I used to get knee problem wearing normal badminton shoes, but now I just use a pair of New Balance cross trainer meant for flat-footed ppl, and it worked fine for me.
I got this from a book that was written by Dr. Allan M. Levy in 1993 , he is team Physician for the New York Giants and formerly, the New Jersey Nets and New York Islanders. " Flat feet: Bones, muscles, and tendons under the foot create an arch in most people. Some people, however, are born with "fallen arches," or flat feet. Contrary to popular belief, flat feet are not a problem for athletes. In fact, flat feet usually are more flexible, have greater range of motion, and are better able to absorb the shock of running and jumping. It is the athletes with high arches who are more injury-prone. An unusually high-arched foot is more rigid and has less range of motion during quick, agile movements. Also, a foot that's precariously balanced on the heel and ball has poor shock-absorbing ability. Many children start off with flat feet, but the vast majority develop normal arches as they grow. Until recently, flat-footed children were frequently treated with orthotics and perhaps surgery to create a higher arch. But few studies have shown that wearing a particular shoe or arch support can make a significant difference in the development of an arch. Most doctors now feel that flat-footed people should not limit their activities and do not need special treatment. Seek medical care only if your feet hurt."
well im not flat-footed but according to the chart on the 1st page im just normal footed so i guess thats good. i mean being flat-footed can slow down those who dont try and overcome cause ive seen like special shoes for people with flat feet but i dont really think that its a big deal if your flat so yea thats my 2cents worth.
Terrible.... Its too bad eh? Most people in the poorer countries of asia have flat feet because they wear slippers and sometimes go barefeet. Proper running shoes and a foot doctor can help. They add pads to your shoe and help support your feet.
Bear in mind that this is a self-selecting sample to some extent. It's like those internet movie reviews (eg. the reviews on Amazon.com DVDs/videos): people only ever bother to rate a movie if it's one of their favourites (or occasionally if they hate it), which gives misleading 4 or 5 star ratings for just about every film. People who ARE flat-footed will be more likely to read this thread and vote than people who are not.
Jaguar, That's a very interesting article. Thanks. His idea certainly runs contrary to traditional thinking.
I used to be a regular here on BC, but I have been away for a long while and have changed my "name". This post is very interesting to me because I have foot problems and have spent large amounts of time researching my injuries and their causes. I don't have flat feet, but my little sister does. She is a phenomenal athlete--a collegiate national racquetball champion, a collegiate softball player and an All State basketball and volleyball player in High School, and a pretty darn good badminton player. I say this in response to posts regarding flat footed athletes possibly being inferior. I think "flat footedness" has about as much influence on an athletes capability as the color of her/his eyes does--meaning absolutely nothing. All great athletes had to work hard to become great whether thay have flat feet, high arches, brown eyes, or asthma. My other point is that no two feet are the same. My own two feet are not the same. One has a higher arch than the other. Every person has different feet and orthotics/orthoses are going to have a different affect on the wearer depending on many, many factors--including the skill of the podiatrist who made them. Some people will get lucky and have an over the counter shoe insert work for their situation; however, if you have a foot that needs an orthotic, chances are you need a good podiatrist to cast and make or have made your particular type of insert. The earlier post that had the three different types of feet that you could match by stepping in water and then onto a paper or something is a good general measurement, but it is not always accurate. I have a normal, good arch by that standard. However upon further observation by my very capable podiatrist, I found out that I have a nearly perfect arch--until I walk or run, and even then it is perfect until my "push-off" in which I severly overpronate. Over time, and with training to run a marathon (because there is not one single badminton court in the town I now live in) my foot developed a severe inflammation and resulting pain. The cause of the pain was the constant, repetitive motion of running. In years of badminton and racquetball, I never injured my foot because the motion is not constant and repetitive--it is varied. My podiatrist also is making me some custom sport othoses now. I will wear them when I run, and when I play racquetball until my foot is healed. After that I will only wear them when I run. These orthoses will cost me $275.00 (US), but they are guaranteed to last 9 years. Each year I will need to take them back to a podiatrist for a quick, cheap ($20.00) refurbishing because the soft cushioned part will break down. This seems very reasonable to me.
thank God im not flat-footed, just have a normal feet..... but if u are really interested in such games, being flat-footed wouldn't be such a problem!! right guys??....
