best running shoes kids flat feet image
Erik
Hey guys.
I'm 15, and I have flexible flat feet. I have always wanted to become a marine and do infantry. I can run better than the kids in the rest of my JROTC unit, and have no feet pain. Can I still join the marines?
Answer
As long as you do not have foot pain from it, can jump run and climb, and can wear regular footwear you are good to go.
Ken- This is no longer 1968. The DOD medical standards have changed quite a bit. If you look at them it states this about flat feet-
Current symptomatic pes planus (acquired (734) or congenital (754.6)) or history of pes planus corrected by prescription or custom orthotics is disqualifying.
So only if custom shoes or inserts are needed would it be disqualifying. Plenty of people with flat feet do not require any special accomidations.Also, if you look at a pair of standard issue Wellco tan boots, they do not have very much of an arch at all.
As long as you do not have foot pain from it, can jump run and climb, and can wear regular footwear you are good to go.
Ken- This is no longer 1968. The DOD medical standards have changed quite a bit. If you look at them it states this about flat feet-
Current symptomatic pes planus (acquired (734) or congenital (754.6)) or history of pes planus corrected by prescription or custom orthotics is disqualifying.
So only if custom shoes or inserts are needed would it be disqualifying. Plenty of people with flat feet do not require any special accomidations.Also, if you look at a pair of standard issue Wellco tan boots, they do not have very much of an arch at all.
What type of insoles should i get?
freddy
I have flat feet and i was wanted to try a pair of cheap insoles before getting custom made ones. I was wondering if i should get 3/4 length or one with a full length. A gel one or what other type? I am 13 and i play basketball, sprinter in track, and football.
I need insoles because i get shin splints, and i dont know what it's called but I my knee hurts to just right below the knee cap. It hurts randomly at times usually when i sprint for 50 yards or more. Sometimes it doesn't hurt though. It's awkward. I don't think i have osterslotters though. I believe i have flexible flat feet which when i stand on my toes a arch appears but thats just from looking at it.
Answer
With cheap, you get what you pay for. Are you having some sort of problem with your flat feet? Are they painful, or you just don't like the way they look? If you tell us what your reasons are for wanting insoles, maybe we can help you better. Even if your flat feet aren't painful, it's true that you might be able to run faster and be more agile if your foot is properly supported. Without going into the whole biomechanics of it, a flat foot is less efficient in sports (and the rest of life, too), because it takes more energy to push off in the normal gait cycle.
If you're having real pain in your arch area for the first time (or the area where you're supposed to have an arch, if you have none), at your age it could be due to some changes in your foot structure, so you might want to check with your doc. It's probably just regular flexible flat feet, but there's a more rare type of flatfoot where the bones in the foot firm up at about your age and can become very painful. You'd probably know if you have this condition, because the pain keeps getting worse and worse as your foot structure matures. Does your foot have at least some arch when you're not standing on it, or is it totally, rigidly flat even when you don't place any weight on it?
Chances are you don't have this more extreme version, though. I had normal arches as a kid, but by the time I was a young teen, my right foot had flattened out totally, and later, my left arch "fell" too. You didn't mention if your feet are changing, or getting flatter, or if they were always like this, as far as you can remember.
You also don't tell us how flatfooted you are (you can check your wet footprint, for one thing; does your entire sole make full contact with the ground?)
If you just want some cheap insoles to cushion the beating your feet take from not having an arch, you might get by with a full length gel insole, because they do reduce the pounding your legs and back take due to not having an arch. But if you want more serious "arch" support, you'll probably want to spend a few bucks more and get some more serious 3/4 length inserts, like Superfeet (they have one model especially for those of us with flat feet) or Spenco (which you heat and mold to your foot, so you can get just the right amount of support you need/want). In fact, if you go to a podiatrist, which I ultimately did, one of the first things a good one will do is to suggest that you try something more conservative, like one of the two I suggested, before spending hundreds to invest in a pair of custom orthotics. I think Dr. Scholl's may have some ok products out there (not their cheap air pillow insoles, which do nothing for flat feet, really--I'm talking about something more substantial, like the Dynastep, although I have no personal experience with it). The inserts could be a help to you especially since you are on your feet so much in sports. Be sure to take your shoes along with you to be sure that your inserts will fit inside them--this will be especially true for you with your track shoes. For your sprinting, you might find that there's not a lot of extra room in your track shoes for most inserts--maybe you could train mostly in a pair that could accommodate your inserts, and then when you're at a meet, you could wear a lighter weight shoe with no insert....going without your inserts briefly probably won't do you any harm, although you might really like the extra support once you get used to them.
You're smart for doing something about this now. If your feet aren't totally flat yet (sometimes they flatten out as a teen or adult, like mine did), you might as well try to preserve what arch you have, because it's a good built-in shock absorber. Untreated, flat feet can lead to lots of problems later in your life, including bad knee problems like I developed or foot problems like bunions, which I've been successful in avoiding.
Good luck! Let us know how you're doing.
With cheap, you get what you pay for. Are you having some sort of problem with your flat feet? Are they painful, or you just don't like the way they look? If you tell us what your reasons are for wanting insoles, maybe we can help you better. Even if your flat feet aren't painful, it's true that you might be able to run faster and be more agile if your foot is properly supported. Without going into the whole biomechanics of it, a flat foot is less efficient in sports (and the rest of life, too), because it takes more energy to push off in the normal gait cycle.
If you're having real pain in your arch area for the first time (or the area where you're supposed to have an arch, if you have none), at your age it could be due to some changes in your foot structure, so you might want to check with your doc. It's probably just regular flexible flat feet, but there's a more rare type of flatfoot where the bones in the foot firm up at about your age and can become very painful. You'd probably know if you have this condition, because the pain keeps getting worse and worse as your foot structure matures. Does your foot have at least some arch when you're not standing on it, or is it totally, rigidly flat even when you don't place any weight on it?
Chances are you don't have this more extreme version, though. I had normal arches as a kid, but by the time I was a young teen, my right foot had flattened out totally, and later, my left arch "fell" too. You didn't mention if your feet are changing, or getting flatter, or if they were always like this, as far as you can remember.
You also don't tell us how flatfooted you are (you can check your wet footprint, for one thing; does your entire sole make full contact with the ground?)
If you just want some cheap insoles to cushion the beating your feet take from not having an arch, you might get by with a full length gel insole, because they do reduce the pounding your legs and back take due to not having an arch. But if you want more serious "arch" support, you'll probably want to spend a few bucks more and get some more serious 3/4 length inserts, like Superfeet (they have one model especially for those of us with flat feet) or Spenco (which you heat and mold to your foot, so you can get just the right amount of support you need/want). In fact, if you go to a podiatrist, which I ultimately did, one of the first things a good one will do is to suggest that you try something more conservative, like one of the two I suggested, before spending hundreds to invest in a pair of custom orthotics. I think Dr. Scholl's may have some ok products out there (not their cheap air pillow insoles, which do nothing for flat feet, really--I'm talking about something more substantial, like the Dynastep, although I have no personal experience with it). The inserts could be a help to you especially since you are on your feet so much in sports. Be sure to take your shoes along with you to be sure that your inserts will fit inside them--this will be especially true for you with your track shoes. For your sprinting, you might find that there's not a lot of extra room in your track shoes for most inserts--maybe you could train mostly in a pair that could accommodate your inserts, and then when you're at a meet, you could wear a lighter weight shoe with no insert....going without your inserts briefly probably won't do you any harm, although you might really like the extra support once you get used to them.
You're smart for doing something about this now. If your feet aren't totally flat yet (sometimes they flatten out as a teen or adult, like mine did), you might as well try to preserve what arch you have, because it's a good built-in shock absorber. Untreated, flat feet can lead to lots of problems later in your life, including bad knee problems like I developed or foot problems like bunions, which I've been successful in avoiding.
Good luck! Let us know how you're doing.
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Title Post: Can I join the marine corps with flat feet?
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