Hi guys^^ I have flat feet, and sice a few weeks im sadly wearing supporting soles. They hurt. Maybe its getting used to or something but oh well, what I was meaning to ask is, is it okay for me to walk barefoot? I really enjoy it, and I do it a lot in the summer just about everywhere I go but now that I have these soles Im not so sure if I can make the switch. After walking barefoot my instep (is that the correct english word? I mean like the muscle part above your foot like the upwards facing part of the ankle yeah right okay whatever) is hurting. Any advice? Or am I doomed to walk on these horrid things forever?
when a small school child i had flat feet. the doc said that orthopedic shoes were needed. or walking barefoot on loose uneven surfaces like sand or coarse earth. orthopedic shoes were unbelievably ugly, expensive and they did hurt like hell. of course my parents bought me Frankenstein's. all the children at school made fun of me forever.
Hi SpaceChive, maybe you want to start slowly and give your feet plenty of time to adjust, and just do what you really enjoy. Sounds like your feet tell you so. Just a thought.
thanks you guys Really, my knees hurt so much from those soles.. I really dont like them anymore. I prefer the bare feet,so Im gonna try to do that today and see how I manage (I made me some fake sandals just in case)
My stepdaughter has inserts and she says they make a world of difference in her comfort. It could be that your inserts need a bit of a "tuning" to work better for you. That said, my stepdaughter wears her inserts at work, but most of the rest of the time she's barefoot or wearing flip-flops, so it's not as if she's given up bare feet forever. I'd recommend just having an honest discussion with your podiatrist about the problem with the inserts and also about your lifestyle. About five years ago, I went to a podiatrist because I was having pain in my big toes. He initially suggested inserts. After thinking about it for a couple of minutes I told him that might be tough. I said that at home we tend to run around in socks when it's cold and bare feet when it's warm. In warm months, I rarely even wear flip-flops. Was there another therapy to consider? He then mentioned surgery on my toes. He actually said that was a much better solution, but ethically he had to suggest the less-invasive treatment option first. I opted for the surgery and have never regretted it. I never realized how bad my feet had hurt until all the pain was gone. The recovery time (~6 weeks/foot) was a drag, and he couldn't do both feet at the same time (i.e., 12 weeks total for the procedure), but it was well worth it.
I called the podiatrist, and she said I had to come back for another appointment, because im not supposed to have so much trouble with the soles, Maybe they need adjusting?
I have very flat feet and had always worn shoes because of them. I do use inserts in my shoes because I cannot go without them much of the time. I found a brand called Bio-Balance that is reasonably priced and gets the job done. I also found that my feet finally rebelled against the shoe prisons and I go without on free evenings and weekends. They feel much better overall. The inserts help my ankles more then the feet. A little transition discomfort can happen depending on your activities.
Way to go, One Man Band! I'm proud of you for finally rebelling against shoes and going barefoot! That's totally awesome! :cheers2: I have flat feet, too, and I find that going barefoot is comfortable. Of course, there's the transition pain from injury and waking up muscles that haven't been active in a while. It's kind of like when we were little and learning to walk or ride a bicycle or a skateboard. Kids fall down doing these things, and sometimes they get hurt, but they recover and become tougher and more competent. Barefooting is the same - it might be painful at first because you're working out muscles that are normally resting while shod, and there's the issue of toughening up the skin, but it gets better over time. It's definitely worth it - flat foot or not - and it helps with many foot conditions. Even though flatfoot is often a congenital condition, it's still better to go barefoot than to wear shoes. After all, most people with a severely flat foot either are hurting in normal shoes or comfortable in expensive shoes and/or orthotics.
