What if flat feet were…normal? Debunking a myth about injuries

By Gabriel Moisan, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)

For many decades, if not centuries, researchers, medical professionals and the general population have believed that people with flat feet are more prone to developing a variety of problems.

Specifically, having flat feet was believed to predispose individuals to future pain and other musculoskeletal problems (i.e. to muscles, tendons and/or ligaments).

Flat feet were believed to be a kind of time bomb.

However, in a recent editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, my research team challenges this myth. We demonstrate that the theory that having flat feet inevitably leads to pain or other musculoskeletal problems, is unfounded.

As a researcher in podiatric medicine at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), I will explain the main conclusions of our study here.

Where does this theory come from?

The idea that flat feet are a problem dates back centuries.

It was revived in the second half of the 20th century by the American podiatrists Merton L. Root, William P. Orien and John H. Weed, who popularized the concept of “ideal” or “normal” feet.

These clinician-researchers were the first to propose that if feet did not meet the specific criteria of normality (for example, a well-defined plantar arch, a straight heel in line with the tibia) they were abnormal, less efficient and more prone to injury because of multiple biomechanical compensations, such as greater arch flattening while walking.

This theory became central to the educational programs of health professionals. Although today it is gradually disappearing as modern curricula are updated, the theory was taught for almost five decades throughout the world, even though the scientific basis was weak. In fact, science has never validated the theory: it has remained at the hypothesis stage.

Nevertheless, over the years up until the present, many health professionals have continued to support the theory that flat feet pose a major risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders.

As a result, this idea is still firmly anchored in the beliefs of the general public.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/what-if-flat-feet-were-normal-debunking-a-myth-about-injuries-227139