I am flat footed as well, severely actually. I have no arch whatsoever on my feet but it doesn't seem to affect me at all. I believe it's how you train and if your training is sufficient. My past coaches have taught me good footwork drills and even though I am flatfooted, I have much better court movement than most players at my club. If you think it matters a lot, then it's just your mental state saying that as an excuse to blame your low performance. But of course, this is coming from someone who is only an intermediate regional level, not even provincial. So I guess in extreme circumstance, national and international players must surely be at a disadvatage compared to other solely based on how every little detail matters.
Hi there, Do you mind telling me how old you were when you started wearing the Birkenstock sandals and subsequently noticed an arch develop? My girlfriend just bought me a pair, and my feet are so flat that they actually cut the skin. Reading your post however shed some hope. I'm 25, male, and hoping that if I push through the pain, I might actually get to wear them comfortably and maybe get some arch happening! Thank you so much!!!!
Being flat-footed just means that the metatarsal on the instep of your foot has shifted down below neutral pulling the hallucis and tibialis muscle along with it. That's why the majority of overpronaters (act of your foot leaning inwards as you walk) feel a sharp burn or throbbing pain when they are active for a while. No procedure is able to correct your bone resting lower than normal, but the right footwear can reset the bone while you wear them. Any shoe with a stiffer secondary foam unit in the instep (usually distinguished by it's grey color) will push the bone back into a neutral position allowing for a consistent gait cycle. I highly recommend any asics court shoe with Duomax, you will tend to want to stay away from nike seeing as how they don't really make a shoe intended for those who are flat-footed, the closest they come is a dynamic support system which ends up causing more harm; overpronation calls for static not dynamic. The right shoe coupled with stretching extensively making the tibialis pliable will reduce the greater majority of discomfort felt while active.
I am also severely flat footed. It doesn't affect my movement or agility. It does however effect the endurance... of my foot. In place of my arch over the decades I have 'trained' the muscle to hold the arch (instead of naturally held by tendons). This muscle does tire quickly and is a disadvantage that people with arches wouldn't even have. so its not a mental excuse. If you have flat feet you are not necessarily less capablebut definitely biomechanically less efficient.
I've been playing for almost 8 years already and I have to say that being flat footed really has its fair share of disadvantages.. However, my teammates who're flatfooted all have custom made orthopedic arch supports which they place inside their shoes to compensate for it.. furthermore, we're not allowed to wear slippers.. Only sandals with heavy support on the arch area (such as birkenstock sandals) are allowed.. It hurt like hell when we were still kids, but really worth it after a few years. Heck, we're so dependent on our arch supports now that we can't even play without them anymore >.<
I'm only flat-footed on my left side. I had to get some special insoles made. Wearing them at first hurt the arch of my foot a lot but I got use to it in the end.
Wow a thread about having flat feet? ! Yes I am among the flat footed bunch. Quite surprising seeing a nearly 50:50 ratio (45% to 55%) atm. Both my feet are flat and it is definitely caused problems. I get aches on topside of my feet, achilles and the arch as well. And all these issues occurred when I got more serious about badminton, as I started to play 3-4 days a week. (I used to play basketball) Eventually, I felt the pain in every single little step I took after the game so my physio advised my to go and see a othotic specialist as she couldn't do anything about it. My othotics specialist confirmed that the problems are caused by my flat feet and if I continue to play without correct support...the bones on the topside of my feet will eventually collapse (he showed me some nasty pictures). So I got lured into some expensive othotics padding... And ever since I had them put in, I haven't had the same problem...except for minor achilles pain (less than before) severe blisters around bottom of my feet as I slowly adjusts to the new shape and rubbing of the skins. So definitely more plus and a some minus.
It's not as much a disadvantage in badminton as it is in other sports due to the short distances covered during running across the court, so if you have the condition, don't worry about it and just enjoy the game? A physio I spoke to once mentioned, it's quite common and shouldn't be a problem in most sports.
Trouble is, one doesn't know if over a long period of years, if it will predispose to injuries of other joints. Was my knee injury a result of flat feet? Don't have a good answer myself.
When I first started playing after every game my feet were literally killing me, the underside muscles, Achilles, calves etc. And I had to massage for a very long time with a rolling pin, whole weight on that foot and endure the pain as it was rolling! What I noticed was, as my footwork got better, I was putting less strain on my feet, also when I stretch the tendons and muscles on either side of my leg properly before playing, by moving foot from side to side, that also helped to eliminate that pain on the underside of my foot that we are all familiar with. Lacing up your shoes too tight before you have warmed up properly also causes my calves and feet to hurt, so I loosen them up, stretch, keep playing, then tighten my laces back up when I'm warm. Knee strengthening exercises by holding your patella and also ankle strengthening exercise have helped me SO MUCH, and there has been no injuries of any of the sort and I play about 10-13 hours a week. I don't wear any orthotics at all, though I do own Birkenstock which I wear in the summer, my podiatrist has told me I'm fine without them as I have trained my feet and muscles to compensate effectively. I haven't noticed anything in less endurance as I'm usually the last one standing haha, but if I don't stretch before I have excruciating pain. Knee pain, I think this is universal for badminton players as we are putting 5 times the amount of stress on them, how I overcome this is by taking a good supplement to look after my joints, (can PM me for what I take) and also stretching properly after. Even though I play so many hours and have flat feet, I get the usual 'feel it in my knees' after I play but the next day, I have full recovery and ready to hit the courts again!
Also check that the shoes you buy suit your foot size, not only foot size but also width-- sometimes we subconsciously 'grip' with our toes to stop our feet moving around when our shoes don't fit properly which causes an enormous strain on ALL our muscles in our legs and feet!
Here's an account of my son's flat feet to share... http://juniorshuttlers.blogspot.com/search/label/Flat Foot
My kids and I have this problem. When I noticed bunions starting to develop in their feet at age 8-9, I started putting them on orthotics to support the medial arch, and after a year their bunions have reduced. The orthotics are probably best customized, but it would've been quite expensive for the 2 of them and considering that their feet would outgrow them quickly. So I went with Spenco Total Support Max Insoles that I got from Amazon online. Excellent support and cushioning for only around $30. Got them 3 pairs each...
Anyone have great shock absorption insoles that are thick and won't break easily especially at the balls of the feet for flat feet...
