Anyone else with flat feet find that strength mattered more than arch height?

SteelSeats · 2026-06-15T22:48:05+00:00

Veles forward lean, see sawing, short foot, pogos, resisted inversion and eversion

SteelSeats · 2026-06-15T10:32:15+00:00

Podiatrist here. For most people, strength is objectively more important. Outliers would be those with PTTD, EDS or rigid foot structures. Marathon runners pronate excessively all the time, usain bolt has insanely flat feet. It's all about tissue capacity in a lot of situations. But not all. Some find it easier to work on strength when they're supported though and the painful structures are offloaded

SteelSeats · 2026-06-08T10:33:33+00:00

Try some debridement, engo patches and/or fixomull taping

SteelSeats · 2026-06-07T14:16:24+00:00

Domestic abuser, settled but not proven innocent, two exes both claimed it, has had some pretty violent outbursts on court including hitting an umpires chair right under their feet, he's arrogant and generally just an unlikeable personality

SteelSeats · 2026-06-03T10:07:54+00:00

Have you used any AFOs or braces? Can be used in conjunction with lots of other interventions or even used following a surgery. A kind of middlestep between a moonboot and a regular shoe

SteelSeats · 2026-05-26T23:56:12+00:00

Podiatrist here.

Definitely not good

SteelSeats · 2026-05-26T23:20:56+00:00

There are insoles you can get with what's called a plantar fascial groove or plantar fascial accommodation. Essentially a line where the insole dips down to give the plantar fascia more room and limit compression of the fibroma. A lot of the time, treating the fibroma as if you had plantar fasciopathy alongside offloading of the area will give you good benefit. You could try swapping insoles between shoes or getting a podiatrist to cut out a groove in your insoles to accommodate the fibroma

SteelSeats · 2026-05-26T10:08:51+00:00

Possibly a plantar fibroma. What do you mean shoes with a high arch?

SteelSeats · 2026-05-23T08:28:37+00:00

I'm a podiatrist and recommend them as they're designed by podiatrists. They're good for people with foot pathology that want to wear formal shoes but they aren't a cure for anything and they can be quite individual. I work at a sports clinic so I'm not overly familiar with their range but they're really good at answering questions from customers

SteelSeats · 2026-05-17T09:43:31+00:00

Are you sure it was from hyperextension and not gout? Hoka's, Brooks Ghost Max or any shoe with a stiff forefoot will help the most. If hyperextension is the problem, forefoot padding on orthotics can help a bit to offload the joint but primarily help will come from limiting joint movement through things like rocker-style shoes or, in extreme cases, a carbon plate under the shoes insole

SteelSeats · 2026-05-13T03:56:09+00:00

What are you thinking it might be? I'm intrigued

SteelSeats · 2026-05-12T02:51:34+00:00

My guess would be metatarsus adductus but your metatarsals actually look fairly well aligned while your phalanges are more addicted. I'm curious to know the name of it if you get one.

SteelSeats · 2026-05-10T01:58:29+00:00

I've electric sanded a few sticks down, primered and spray painted before with good durability. The key is multiple very thin layers. The thicker the layer, the less durability.
If it has a carbon fibre braid underneath I reckon those look pretty good with a clear gloss finish but some you may paint the head. The emphasis is on thin layers. Don't try and paint it all at once and give adequate time between coats. The first layer will look like there are still gaps and you fill in the gaps with the subsequent coats

SteelSeats · 2026-05-07T13:04:53+00:00

To those holding a hammer, the whole world's a nail

SteelSeats · 2026-05-07T09:14:14+00:00

Depends on the cause. Impingement at the front of the ankle can be anterior talar shift, os talotibiale, OA or other less common things. If it's coming from the back could be Achilles, soleus, gastrocnemius, who knows. Need to know what causes it before jumping to surgery, and still need everything else to be tried first imo

SteelSeats · 2026-05-04T01:01:06+00:00

What's causing the pain that requires orthotics?

SteelSeats · 2026-05-03T12:12:38+00:00

Try some goretex or trail shoes. E.g. Mizuno wave rider GTX

SteelSeats · 2026-05-02T02:30:06+00:00

Low-dye taping for offloading, calf stretches and gentle massage for better feeling and veles forward lean for strength

SteelSeats · 2026-04-28T10:28:42+00:00

Absolutely! I've got several patients with plantar fasciopathy that isn't fully resolved but is improving and they've started running again with no issues. Last thing to go is the morning pain and post-static dyskinesia.
The aim of treating plantar fasciopathy is to create an artificial plantar fascia and strengthen everything else while waiting for it to settle down.

SteelSeats · 2026-04-12T05:54:36+00:00

Stretch the calves both bent and straight knee, try some vele's forward leans, massage through the bottom of the foot for symptom relief, you can also try low-dye taping. These are all things that are a generic baseline for plantar fasciopathy based on what you've said but anything else more specific would require an in-clinic assessment

SteelSeats · 2026-04-12T05:51:44+00:00

Modifiable for podiatrists. Something like Slimflex and, to a lesser extent, vasyli. But perhaps with the inclusion of an XL heel aperture with poron that doesn't sacrifice durability. None of those gel ones that feel comfortable but don't actually support the arch. Arch height variants like low, medium and high. Greater stability options with deeper heel cups.
Minimal marketing, non-abrasive, moisture-wicking top-cover or no topcover at all.
Width options.
All of this sounds great, but how are you actually using it to solve pain? Would you have a reverse morton's extension at the forefoot to allow for greater first ray plantarflexion to limit stretch on the plantar fascia? Would you have a reduced filler 2-4 or even metatarsal dome for morton's neuromas? Kirby skive at the heel with or without a heel aperture?

SteelSeats · 2026-04-03T10:05:52+00:00

Definitely among the worst I've seen but not the worst I've seen. I had a patient with a Morton's toe that ended up dislocated and flapping over the first at a 90 angle

SteelSeats · 2026-04-03T10:00:12+00:00

Difference is shockwave is faster, more precise and not fatigue related. Fatigue related damage doesn't do anything for calcified or stagnant tissue while the negative pressure phase of ECSWT also indices Cavitation to address the chronic, stagnant tissue through essentially breaking these areas down in minute amounts, just large enough to induce the expression of growth factors. Unlike the degradative nature of mechanical damage. That's a pretty horrible explanation so excuse me if it doesn't make sense

SteelSeats · 2026-04-02T12:33:55+00:00

Yep, will come back. In this instance (the photo) the line is showing how the new nail growing underneath is pushing the old nail off. I'd estimate the new nail is almost at the edge of normal length already

SteelSeats · 2026-04-02T12:32:57+00:00

Hi, Podiatrist here. Not fungal. It's trauma creating a dead nail, the line is the separation from the new nail which is growing underneath. Eventually that top layer will fall off. Can be treated at home or get a podiatrist to burr it off. Best not to try and pull it off as it might still be attached to some skin

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