Shoe store craze | Imamother

acemom

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 11:28 am

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The first thing I do when I walk into the house is take off my shoes. So do my kids. I'm sensory too and I actually prefer going barefoot whenever I can. (I'm expecting some passive agressive hugs for this statement so bring it, people. I can take it.)

Going barefoot on hardwood floors and grass is very comfy. Cement, asphalt and rock tile are ok for short periods. Gravel or rocky uneven surfaces are obviously uncomfortable.
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Arch support sounds like a myth to me too. My heel and toes are supporting my arches. Probably a bunch of tendons or ligaments or whatever in there doing the job too. I mean it begs the mysterious question, how is it possible that only the arches on our feet somehow need support? Maybe we need elbow support? Knee support? Neck support? It seems so arbitrary. I'm sure there are some very few people who actually need the arch support - then again, there are some people who need neck support - doesn't mean we're all going around with neck supports.
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Your own experiences (and assumptions), greatly differ from mine.
I have flat feet (fallen arches) which cause me pain when walking barefoot. I cannot wear flat shoes because they are so uncomfortable, as well as making me gap terribly when I walk. I haven't gotten orthopedic arches but I make sure to try several shoes until I find one that is supportive in the right places. I am not that old, but am up to a point in life where comfort trumps fashion.

gp2.0

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 11:52 am

acemom wrote:

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Sorry to hear that. It sounds hard. how long have you had fallen arches? Any idea what caused them?

Here's some info about flat feet in children, how rare it is, and how arch supports don't help.

https://www.healthychildren.or......aspx

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Babies are often born with flat feet, which may persist well into their childhood. This occurs because children’s bones and joints are flexible, causing their feet to flatten when they stand. Young babies also have a fat pad on the inner border of their feet that hides the arch. You still can see the arch if you lift your baby up on the tips of the toes, but it disappears when he’s standing normally. The foot may also turn out, increasing the weight on the inner side and making it appear even more flat.

Normally, flat feet disappear by age six as the feet become less flexible and the arches develop. Only about 1 or 2 out of every 10 children will continue to have flat feet into adulthood. For children who do not develop an arch, treatment is not recommended unless the foot is stiff or painful. Shoe inserts won’t help your child develop an arch, and may cause more problems than the flat feet themselves.

However, certain forms of flat feet may need to be treated differently. For instance, a child may have tightness of the heel cord (Achilles tendon) that limits the motion of his foot. This tightness can result in a flat foot, but it usually can be treated with special stretching exercises to lengthen the heel cord.

Rarely, a child will have truly rigid flat feet, a condition that can cause problems. These children have difficulty moving the foot up and down or side to side at the ankle. The rigid foot can cause pain and, if left untreated, can lead to arthritis. This rigid type of flat foot is seldom seen in an infant or very young child. (More often, rigid flat feet develop during the teen years and should be evaluated by your child’s pediatrician.)

Symptoms that should be checked by a pediatrician include foot pain, sores or pressure areas on the inner side of the foot, a stiff foot, limited side-to-side foot motion, or limited up-and-down ankle motion. For further treatment you should see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist experienced in childhood foot conditions.

acemom

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 1:48 pm

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how long have you had fallen arches? What caused them? Here's some info about flat feet in children, how rare it is, and how arch supports don't help.

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As far back as I could remember I have always had flat feet. My feet are also long and rather narrow proportionally. I have never really bought shoes specifically with arch supports but I can't just buy any shoe off the shelf either.

As a teenager, trendy flats that everyone wore were not even an option because they made my feet hurt while providing zero support. Wearing a heel was much more comfortable though I preferred a wedge rather because of my height.

None of my kids have flat feet. Actually, they all started out with various degrees of Pes Cavus(high instep) which we needed to take into consideration when fitting the first several shoes.

I am not denying that a lot of what goes into selling shoes, especially for kids, is just some kind of hype. On the other hand, it is unfair to totally disregard that foot issues cannot be resolved or at least relieved by a properly fitted shoe.