The Advantages and Disadvantages of Having Flat Feet
When most people think about flat feet, they only tend to link it to bad things. After all, a flat foot is an abnormal foot.
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In the old days, it was very common for people with flat feet to hear that they would never be able to be professional athletes or that they could even take up a technically difficult dance discipline like ballet. The reality is that back then, people with flat feet would not even be accepted in the armed forces. So, as you can see, having flat feet was always linked to disadvantages. But is having flat feet so bad?
Flat Feet – The Physical Facts
Flat feet or fallen arches usually refers to the feet that don’t have a very defined arch in the center of the foot. So, because of this, the foot has a flattened appearance.
But why you need an arch?
If you think about the way you walk, run, and even climb, you understand that your feet need to be able to support your body weight. The main goal of the arch of the foot is to allow you to gradually lower itself as you move. This ends up serving as a natural shock absorber. So, when you don’t have an arch or it is simply underdeveloped, the force of all that weight is then transferred to the rest of your lower body which includes your lower back and knees.
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The reality is that while some people may complain about back pain, the back may not be the cause but the flat feet. And the same can be said for hip pain and knee pain. And this is one of the reasons why you now start to see and hear so many people talking about flat feet. It’s not just a foot that is not normal but it’s a foot that can lead to other health problems.
Another common problem that is usually related to flat feet is plantar fasciitis. In this case, the plantar fascia which is the tissue that connects your heel to your toe is always under a lot of strain when your arch isn’t providing enough shock absorption. So, when you suffer from plantar fasciitis it is common that you feel heel pain. Notice that this is a very common injury among professional athletes.
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The Advantages Of Flat Feet
As we already mentioned, most people tend to link flat feet to disadvantages and problems only. However, you need to know that if you have flat feet, you may have some advantages when compared to people who have high arches.
Some recent studies show that flat feet tend to cause far fewer problems than high arches. The reality is that people who have high arches also have a problem with shock absorption, and sometimes the problem may be even bigger. So, they tend to be more prone to injuries.
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Besides, it is also important to notice that while people used to say that someone with flat feet could not be a professional athlete, just look at the case of the Moroccan athlete Saïd Aouita, a world-class distance runner. During 20 years, he didn’t only get a lot of prizes as he actually won three Olympic gold medals. But he isn’t the only case. In basketball, there are many well-known players who also have flat feet. These include Dwayne Wade, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andre Iguodala, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Tony Parker, just to mention a few.
