Treating Your Flat Feet with Orthotics

Millions of Americans suffer from pes planus—flat feet to most of us—and the chronic pain they can cause. While flat feet can happen for different reasons, the good news is that most symptoms can be relieved with custom orthotics and special shoe inserts designed to hug your feet' unique curves and contours.

The team at Forward Foot & Ankle are skilled providers of custom orthotics, using the most advanced measuring systems and gait analysis to craft orthotics specifically for your foot shape and symptoms. If you suffer from flat feet, here's how our custom orthotics can help your feet feel better.

The ABCs of flat feet

Flat feet happen when the natural curved arch on the sole of your foot is flattened. Normally, your arches support your midfoot, absorbing shocks and distributing your weight when you stand or walk. When your arches are flattened, weight distribution and shock absorption are altered, too, resulting in chronic foot pain, especially as you get older.

Babies have flat arches at birth, and as they grow and develop, their arches usually take on their natural curved shape. For some kids, those flat arches remain. For other people, flat feet develop in adulthood due to injuries, underlying medical issues, or even lifestyle factors, like being overweight or having a job or hobby that requires lots of standing, walking, or running.

While flat feet may not seem like a big deal, without proper care, they can lead to a lifetime of foot pain that can worsen with age. They can also increase your risk of mobility issues and even chronic conditions like lower back pain or arthritis.

How custom orthotics can help

Custom orthotics use special materials and design techniques to provide added support for flat feet. Best of all, our orthotics can be crafted to suit all kinds of shoes—even dress shoes and athletic footwear. For flat feet, custom orthotics provide a wealth of benefits.

Personalized arch support

Custom orthotics are just that—custom. Unlike over-the-counter shoe inserts, your custom orthotics are designed for your feet and your underlying issues and symptoms. By providing just the right amount of arch support, our custom orthotics can "undo" the damage associated with "fallen" arches for absolute comfort and better foot health.

Optimized weight distribution

By recreating your natural arch support, custom orthotics help realign your foot structure for better weight support. That means better shock absorption and less impact-related pain and damage for your feet and the rest of your body.

Improved balance and gait

Better foot alignment means better alignment for your ankles, knees, and even your spine, resulting in improved balance and a more natural stride. In turn, you can enjoy better posture and a reduced risk of alignment-related strain and pain.

Prevention of related foot problems

Without treatment, flat feet increase the likelihood you’ll develop other foot problems, like bone spurs, intense heel pain, hammertoes, and arthritis in your feet, ankles, and knees. Orthotics helps prevent these problems by counteracting the effects of flattened arches and ensuring your foot structure is fully supported.

Find relief for your sore feet

We rely a lot on our feet, and if you have foot pain, every day can be filled with discomfort. Custom orthotics help relieve pain associated with flat feet and many other problems. 

To learn how they can help relieve your chronic foot pain, request an appointment online or over the phone with the Forward Foot & Ankle team in Midtown Manhattan and Staten Island, New York, today.