flat feet and tennis shoes

[joah310]

I have flat feet, and Ive always had the issue with tennis shoes, or shoes in general, where I run with them, and my arch feels like its going to cramp up. So far the only shoe that I have not experienced that in was the adidas ubersonic 3.0, where the midsole felt stiff, but in a good way, and there was no foot pain. The only issue with those was that the outsole was absolute junk, and I don't think I even got 10 hours worth of durability with it, though our neighborhood courts are a little rougher than standard. I was wondering if anyone knew any shoes that might fit me. Ive tried the head revolt pro 3.0, and those didn't hurt as much as some others. I believe it hurt a little more with the asics solution speed ff. Currently am using the asics gel game 7 that my dad got me, but I feel like this is one of the more painful ones that I have. I don't think I have wide feet, but maybe I should test it out, as sometimes loosening the shoe string can ease the pain

 

[innoVAShaun]

I would recommend seeing an orthopedist for custom orthotic insoles. If you don't want to go that route, try out the Dr. Scholl's analyzing booth and dish out the $40+ for a heel insert.

 

[naruto83]

I’ve got flat wide feet too but I dont have your symptoms. You might need orthotics.
but ive like the ASICS gel resolution and ASICS gel solution speed

 

[PD1978]

100% need orthotics. I have wide flat as well and custom orthotics are a must. Does make finding the right shoe a bit of a challenge. Currently having good success with K Swiss, the orthotics don’t fit well in all shoes.

 

[Lorenn]

I have flat feet, and Ive always had the issue with tennis shoes, or shoes in general, where I run with them, and my arch feels like its going to cramp up. So far the only shoe that I have not experienced that in was the adidas ubersonic 3.0, where the midsole felt stiff, but in a good way, and there was no foot pain. The only issue with those was that the outsole was absolute junk, and I don't think I even got 10 hours worth of durability with it, though our neighborhood courts are a little rougher than standard. I was wondering if anyone knew any shoes that might fit me. Ive tried the head revolt pro 3.0, and those didn't hurt as much as some others. I believe it hurt a little more with the asics solution speed ff. Currently am using the asics gel game 7 that my dad got me, but I feel like this is one of the more painful ones that I have. I don't think I have wide feet, but maybe I should test it out, as sometimes loosening the shoe string can ease the pain

Normally flat feet are wider/longer than average as you lack the arch curve. I switched how I handled my feet during the minimalist craze. Oddly enough it helped. The simple theory is allow your feet do do what they were intended for and to strengthen them so they can. First step is have your feet remeasured. In today's environment that would likely mean buying a brannock device and measuring your feet at home or having a friend draw them on a brown shopping bag and using a ruler to measure. There are professional ways to have your feet measured and your gait looked at...

Second I switched to lower drop shoes with less support. I did not get to zero drop, but I was able to handle 4 mm shoes reasonable well. The shoes I switched to were Reebok Realflex. Unfortunately they no longer exist. I am not sure of any rivals anymore but the Nike Free shoes were the same design theory. The most recent free are away from the completely flexible sole which allowed your foot to handle more of the work. It was a slow switch but I started walking in them, then running, eventually wearing them as everyday shoes when I could. Today I just normally wear low drop (4-8 mm drop) neutral shoes. Hoka Clifton 7 is a good shoe. For Tennis I wear Mizuno Exceed Tour 4 or KSwiss Hypercourt Supreme. Kswiss is my preferred shoe, Tour if I care about how long the soles last.

Third I would buy a foot massager or spiked ball. I currently use a Thermaflow dual foot Massager. Oddly a tennis ball works great. I was using it on my feet whenever I thought about it. Helps increase blood flow and flexibility. I would also work on stretching my calves. Easy way would be a slant board. Tight calves tend to be problematic when it comes to foot issues.

Finally the hard part is finding shoes which fit your feet I give my feet extra space and don't try to find ultra tight shoes. I leave a little space for cushion or double socks.

 

[joah310]

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

[ewiewp]

I have flat feet, and Ive always had the issue with tennis shoes, or shoes in general, where I run with them, and my arch feels like its going to cramp up. So far the only shoe that I have not experienced that in was the adidas ubersonic 3.0, where the midsole felt stiff, but in a good way, and there was no foot pain. The only issue with those was that the outsole was absolute junk, and I don't think I even got 10 hours worth of durability with it, though our neighborhood courts are a little rougher than standard. I was wondering if anyone knew any shoes that might fit me. Ive tried the head revolt pro 3.0, and those didn't hurt as much as some others. I believe it hurt a little more with the asics solution speed ff. Currently am using the asics gel game 7 that my dad got me, but I feel like this is one of the more painful ones that I have. I don't think I have wide feet, but maybe I should test it out, as sometimes loosening the shoe string can ease the pain

It depends on the type of flat foot you have.
In my case, I have "overpronating" foot.

I recommend to pay a visit to really good and experienced foot doctor.
Find a really good one. The quality of care you get from foot doctors varies a lot.

I did try 2 of ~$500 custom orthotics prescribed by foot doctors but in the end, I settled with $30-50 orthotics insoles.

It was worth to have my feet and gait analyzed by really good foot doctors.
But I'm not sure if it's worth to get doctor prescribed custom orthotics.

Once I become knowledgeable on the issue, $30-50 orthotics were enough for me
I occasionally customize it with some thick tape.
Since my foot overpronates, I use midtop shoes and they help a lot.

Orthotics Insoles do hamper nimble movements a bit but do alleviate flat foot pains.

Good luck.