Arch Support Is A Lie?

Get olympic weightlifting programming (part 1):

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[elaishh]

After 8 years in the Marines I got insoles. My knee, hips and back stopped hurting. I was able to run again and lost 40 lbs. But hey YouTube said it’s not true so….

[mattcasale]

The engineering comparison to a bridge is slightly misguided. Take into consideration that a bridge is a static structure, while the foot is dynamic and needs to shift from a flexible (pronation) to a rigid (supination) position. The exact mechanism of how an orthotic works isn’t well known, but it has been demonstrated in the literature that an orthosis is effective in treating foot pain.

[JohnDoe-gokv]

We really do need to normalize wide toed shoes, it's ridiculous that we all stuff our feet into these things all day for aesthetics.

[avalerionbass]

As a person with normal arches, NOTHING is more uncomfortable than a shoe that has classic arch support. That part of my foot has never touched anything while walking and its weird when something does touch it.

[Alicenwndrlnd]

let me throw in my story too..i used to suffer from knee and back pain since i was little..doctors ignored me until i went to the army where one doctor was like " well you have partially flat feet and also your joints are too flexible" they gave me some construction to wear over my knees...i got some really good insoles and you know what? it helped the pain. but you know what? with out them i just went back to the same freaking problem. on a him i ditched all my regular shoes and began walking in old plain flip flops..it was really hard at the beginning my feet would hurt and i got tired so easily..but after a few years i noticed i no longer have my back pain and no more KNEE PAIN!!! i didn't have any idea why that was because the moment i started walking in flip flops my "reasoning" was that "F all of this i can't keep relying on all these casts and insoles just to be able to walk without suffering" and i felt like i was so angry that the doctors can't actually treat me but just gave me more stuff for the pain i just lost trust..only years later i realized i basically was walking in bare foot shoes..my foot got extremely wider to the point that i couldn't even wear my old shoes. so yes. insoles and other helping devices might help the pain but they won't get you stronger, they won't treat your problem.
Edit: oh and i forgot to mention my feet are no longer "flat" i have a perfect foot print on all my shoes, in the sand and when i leave water foot prints behind me.

[stay_gold]

i think there’s probably a reason we see an orthopedist for foot pain and not an engineer though

[_purge]

Yeaaaa I wore flat shoes with impression foam while I had to walk 10K steps a day on concrete. Immense foot pain to the point it was debilitating. I had to quit my job. Got some custom orthotics and now I can actually do productive PT whereas previously I could only focus on pain management.

Listen to orthopedic specialists, not this clown on the internet.

[davidnogle]

As a professional running coach: that type or arch support is only useful for injuries, and can even LEAD to injuries if overused. Great video.

[DiazMSKinesiology]

It’s crazy how many comments exist saying that the info here is straight up wrong. He’s simply talking about the optimal way to support your foot arch. A lot of you are focusing on personal anecdotes about how an orthotic alleviated your foot pain, which is a concept that is not in any way being opposed by this video. For those of you saying that the bridge example is nonsense, as a biomechanics graduate student, that’s how I learned about the load-bearing properties of the foot arch as well (btw, biomechanics = biology + classical physics). If you want your foot arch to increase the load-bearing capacity of your foot, then listen to what this video says. If your feet are in too much pain to do so, then obviously this video isn’t for you and you need a quicker solution like an orthotic

[martj]

As a podiatrist i agree with the support part and diffences in arch height. Pretty neat stuff. But when i make orthotics i correct the foot from the subtalair joint by supinating or pronating the calcaneus. The arch follows by itself and i let nature take its course.

[Mewzyc]

I work retail, having orthopedic insoles is better than wearing a flat shoe for me. I get less fatigue on my feet and my lower back

[FirstStrike]

Lol lots a people debunking this so I’ll throw a story in too.

In middle school I used to come home with such bad foot pain it would radiate up my leg for HOURS. Like when I would finally lay down to go to bed I was just in pain and it was a large factor in my insomnia. When I told my parents, my mom (who used to have high arches that COLLAPSED because she never wore proper footwear growing up and in her young adulthood) immediately got me a set of orthotics.

It was night and fucking day. My feet still give me trouble from time to time if I’m standing in one place for too long, and if I try to go out without my orthotics it’s a nightmare, but for the most part I’m foot pain free.

On a side note I think it’s hilarious that you’re trying to apply logical engineering to the human body when it’s basically the biggest middle finger to logistical engineering XD Like evolution did us dirty in so many ways lol

[rafonso]

That is not about correcting the foot, is about getting your posture better because of instability caused by the foot.

[jaceharper]

Yeah I'm taking this one with a grain of salt. I was born with inverted arches (my navicular was deformed in both feet) and they had me in orthotics for years. It was explained to me as not being about strengthening the arch it's about trying to get everything to sit and align correctly in your legs, hips, and lower back

[ragingmoderate]

Yes as someone with wide flat feet if I had taken your advice, oh wait I was wearing wide flat soled shoes at the time, I had severe foot and ankle pain. Having a stiff soled shoe and then orthotics years later was the only thing that kept me from needing surgery.

[serowi]

No matter how the video started it always ends with the "Wear barefoot/wide shoes"

[MrMD-xdtc]

It was actually intended to help give ppl that curve in the center that were originally flat footed. I know bc I was flat footed in my teens and wore the custom inserts for 2 years before I'm now left with the permanent arche that should be there and have way less back problems.

[zoroverse]

The reason we build bridges with arches is because we can’t support it in the middle. If we could, we would support the entire arch.

[ASJMusher]

Ummm...no, you are not supposed to push the foot down like that. The client stands on the pad, supporting their own weight, showing their needed support area. Whoever did this and pushed the foot down, is an idiot.

[Chris.Davies]

I have narrow feet and an ankle arthrodesis, so I need heavily cushioned shoes to be comfortable. Because I wear orthotics, I now select shoes which are wide, and I do them up tightly, using a lace lock.

Now, a tight wide shoe provides freedom for my toes to splay as much as they like, and despite the middle of the foot being held strongly, with the heel held down, they don't feel tight, and I never feel uncomfortable.

HOKA ONE ONE FOR LIFE, BABY!