Fix Flat Feet (Pes Planus) WITHOUT ORTHOTICS!

Flat feet or pes planus is a very common condition amongst western cultures and there is a very good explanation for this. This video goes deep into how going barefoot or using minimalist shoes can influence the arch of your feet with the science to back it up. I show why orthotics are not helping and may actually be worsening your flat feet.

In addition to barefoot living improving the foot arch there are various other nuggets that can help with building that foot arch back up including foot strengthening exercises, hip strengthening exercises and using balance training as a tool to help build those feet back up.

Barefoot Shoe Brands:
The Foot Collective Disrupt Footwear – Cost Effective -

Research Papers:

*This is not medical advice

[wheelhouse]

Thank you so much for this. I appreciate your compassion in the matter. I feel like i got shafted by my family doctor and orthodics places. Years of ankle and knee pain. 1 week of barefoot living, and my feet are stronger already. I still have to gain a lot of strength in my ankles but i am making big strides. My life has changed forever.

[KallutoZoldyck]

I have to tell my story with this in the comments here lol. I didn't have foot problems to the extent that I do now until I was given orthotics. I didn't care to fix them as they were getting worse because I was told that orthotics were good for my feet and didn't put much thought into it. I then wanted to learn the flat footed squat and have found a picture of me doing it perfectly when I was a child. Only then did I realize how bad my feet have gotten, more particularly my right foot. I started by noticing that when I turn my feet straight instead of out, I would feel weird in both of my hips and my knees and couldn't hold it for very long. I also had bad ankle impingements when dorsiflexing in both ankles (It genuinely felt like my bone structure didn't support high levels of dorsiflexion, I was even worried that I needed surgery). Then I started to practice resting in half squats on my chair for shorter, then longer amounts of time. I noticed that my left foot could naturally turn further inwards when standing after maybe half a year of doing this religiously. So that foot was no longer collapsed. I could even dorsiflex that foot further, without any bony blockage. Now when it came to my right foot back then, I could barely dorsiflex it without having that painful pinch at the front, and when I tried to stand with it facing straight forward, I just had a lot of pressure on the lateral side of the foot. After a while of dorsiflexion exercises, and only wearing barefoot shoes, the right foot started catching up to the left in dorsiflexion, however I still couldn't face it straight forward without issues. I actually realized that the inner side of my right foot was shorter than on my other side, and I realized that doing the Japanese Seiza pose stretches that out and fixes that. I started practicing that position for about 20 mins straight and noticed fast results with my right foot. Generally less pressure is on my lateral foot side, I can turn it in more, and I can dorsiflex it without having that pinch that I had before. Whatever you do, you're probably best getting an X-ray to see if you have any bone spurs, and if you don't, just stretch and get barefoot shoes, you don't need anything more than that to fix your feet. My general rule for stretching is 3 minutes for muscles (tolerable intensity of course) and 20 mins for ligaments. You will find that joints themselves can actually stretch to increase range of motion, but also be very careful because you don't want to risk injuring yourself. After this long adventure (Which I am still improving) I have gotten rid of hip problems, knee problems, foot problems, back problems, and ankle problems. Oh, and I could probably walk only on my forefoot and not feel anything in my calves. At the end of the day though, it hasn't been painless to get here, I am stretching muscles and ligaments, and when it comes down to it, I have to stress them or else they won't get any better. That's what you get for over supporting your body too much, and then wanting an ambition such as the flat footed squat.

[khanscombe]

Brilliant Vaughn m8. Awesome content.
I started doing this in 2020 work from home & in months on hardwood floor or in back garden pavement I feel so in touch with my footing.
New sub so I kook forward to more (:

[Yoshua-Robinson]

Topo shoes have wide toe box (like Altra) and do not have so much cushion, which is better to train your foot muscles, they have a bit of arch support which I find is good for transitioning and their models go from 5mm to 3mm to Zero drop.

[yarsa]

ima try this later but can u do a video on how to fix wrist inuries / elbow / shoulder injuries

[Artasim]

music's too loud bro. appreciate the genre tho
great exercises, the balance thing & ball is very effective, by my experience. i'll try crab walk it seems too hilarious not to try

[xsurge]

Does wearing socks count as wearing no shoes?

[avapod]

I spend money but still the same and i have pain 🥹🥹

[xsurge]

Does wearing socks count as wearing no shoes?