{"id":632447,"date":"2026-05-09T07:14:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T07:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/632447\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T07:14:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T07:14:16","slug":"heres-how-to-tell-if-your-flat-feet-are-actually-causing-health-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/632447\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s How To Tell If Your Flat Feet Are Actually Causing Health Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people don\u2019t spend too much time thinking about the arch of their foot \u2014 how high it is, how low it is \u2014 that is, until foot or ankle pain becomes a problem.<\/p>\n

The foot is supposed to have an arch; it helps support your body\u2019s alignment, protects the foot from shock and helps you walk on uneven surfaces<\/a>. But roughly 25% of adults have flat feet, said Dr. Jesse N. Charnoff<\/a>, a spine and sports medicine physiatrist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. This means the group has no arch at all, so the soles of their feet<\/a> touch the ground when they stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re born, you have flat feet,\u201d said Dr. Nicole Nicolosi<\/a>, a foot and ankle surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, adding that children tend to develop an arch between the ages of 7 and 10.<\/p>\n

Genetics and certain conditions, such as injuries or rheumatoid arthritis, can cause flat feet in adulthood. Of the 25% of adults who have flat feet, only about 1 in 10 will have symptoms related to them that require treatment, Charnoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have a flat foot and live a long and happy life without any issues,\u201d Nicolosi explained.<\/p>\n

That said, certain issues can be signs of health problems in folks with flat feet. Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n

Some people may notice pain and could be at higher risk of issues like arthritis. <\/p>\n

People with flat feet may notice pain as a result of their body subconsciously shifting its weight and accounting for the lack of arch in the foot, said Dr. Amiethab Aiyer<\/a>, the division chief of foot and ankle surgery in the Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe body is trying to compensate, specifically by redistributing its weight on what we refer to as the tripod of the foot,\u201d Aiyer explained. \u201cAnd when that tripod is affected, and in a flat foot situation, your weight starts shifting over kind of to the outside of your foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

This can cause pain on the outside of the foot in front of the ankle and even along the back of the ankle, Aiyer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people may also get plantar fasciitis, or just fatigue in the feet and discomfort,\u201d Charnoff said.<\/p>\n

All this pain and overcompensation can cause folks with flat feet to develop arthritis-related issues, according to Nicolosi.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of your flat foot, it kind of alters your mechanics \u2014 the way you walk \u2014 so you\u2019re more prone to arthritis, for example, in your knees and your hips,\u201d she said. So, the pain may not be limited to your foot and ankle. \u201cEverywhere down the line, everything\u2019s connected,\u201d Nicolosi added.<\/p>\n

Tendonitis can be a problem, too. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing is more common in a flat foot type is tendonitis,\u201d Nicolosi said. \u201cIn general, the main arch supporter in your foot is this tendon called your posterior tibial tendon, and what it functions to do is raise your arch.\u201d<\/p>\n

When this tendon is deficient, as it is in someone with flat feet, it\u2019s more prone to periodic inflammation, Nicolosi said. This won\u2019t necessarily lead to a big issue, but may cause tenderness or a dull pain.<\/p>\n

\"Having<\/p>\n

Olga Pankova via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Having flat feet is not a health concern and of itself \u2014 but if you have foot pain or gait issues, you should talk to a doctor.<\/p>\n

If you notice pain or other issues, let your doctor know.<\/p>\n

If you notice you have flat feet or are told by a doctor that you do but don\u2019t have any sort of symptoms, then there is no need to make any changes to your life, according to Aiyer.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go out and buy special inserts or opt into medical treatments just because you have flat feet. But if you notice that you\u2019re limping, your walk is changing or you have pain when doing regular activities, it\u2019s worth talking to your doctor.<\/p>\n

More, if you never had flat feet but suddenly do, particularly after an injury, you should talk to a doctor, according to Charnoff: This could mean that the supporting arch structures were injured. <\/p>\n

There are treatment options; in some instances, surgery may be recommended, but otherwise, physical therapy or orthotics may be recommended, Nicolosi said. <\/p>\n

\u201cOrthotics are pretty mainstay for flat feet because they have an arch support,\u201d said Nicolosi, which helps alleviate the tendon that supports your arch and helps put your foot in the correct alignment so you don\u2019t end up with arthritis or gait abnormalities.<\/p>\n

While folks with flat feet but no bothersome symptoms don\u2019t need to make any lifestyle changes, it is always a good idea to wear supportive shoes. This is the best way to keep your feet pain-free and prevent future issues, she noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most people don\u2019t spend too much time thinking about the arch of their foot \u2014 how high it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[70871,116155,97,79],"class_list":["post-632447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-arthritis","tag-feet","tag-health","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}