Do Orthotics help with Flat Feet?
Orthotics can be an assistive tool for managing foot discomfort, flat feet, or even knee and back pain. To get the most out of orthotics—or determine whether they’re right for you—it’s important to understand both their benefits and limitations, as well as how they fit into a bigger picture of whole-body movement and posture.
What Does Arch Support Do?
At their core, orthotics or arch supports are designed to cushion the inside edge of your feet and provide relief by countering the effects of a collapsing medial arch. But here’s the key: orthotics don’t restore your feet’s ability to lift you up and carry you dynamically. They simply compensate for the collapse rather than addressing its root cause.
Think of it like a spring—when your feet are functioning well, they store and release energy with every step, propelling you forward. Orthotics cushion the spring but don’t restore its bounce. A well-functioning foot has its own built-in dynamic arch support system. Each foot has three natural arches—the medial (inside), lateral (outside), and transverse (across the ball of the foot)—all working together. These arches interact with muscles and tendons that thread through your legs and connect to the rest of your body.
A person with healthy posture and movement habits, has their body weight distributed evenly across the feet. This balance enables the feet to perform their natural job of lifting you up and propelling you forward. But when posture and movement patterns deteriorate due to factors like age, injury, compensation, or lifestyle habits, this weight distribution becomes skewed. The feet lose their ability to lift and begin to collapse under the downward pressure of body weight, leading to flat feet.
Orthotics can provide temporary relief by cushioning the arch, reducing the immediate stress of collapse. However, they don’t address the underlying issue: your weight is still sinking onto the arch support rather than being dynamically carried by your feet. Over time, no orthotic is strong enough to counter the constant downward pressure of your body weight, which is why many people experience flare-ups after prolonged standing or walking with orthotics.
Moving beyond Orthotics: How you can start restoring the arches in your feet
People often turn to exercises like towel scrunches or toe curls to strengthen the foot muscles. While these exercises can improve localized strength and flexibility, there is a real opportunity to go beyond fix-it’s and address the systemic imbalances that contribute to collapsed arches. Here’s why a whole-body approach outperforms isolated foot strengthening.
The Foot Is Part of a Larger System
The foot doesn’t act in isolation—it’s part of an intricate network involving the ankles, knees, hips, spine, and even the head. Every step you take is influenced by how these parts work together. For example, habitual patterns like tight hip flexors or poor spinal mobility can lead to collapsed arches. Strengthening the foot alone doesn’t address these root causes, so the problem may persist or resurface.
2. Compensatory Patterns Create Relapse
If movement patterns higher up in the body (like collapsing knees or rounded shoulders) aren’t addressed, they will continue to place excessive stress on the feet. This can overwhelm the arches, undoing the effects of isolated strengthening.
3. Dynamic Relationships Matter More Than Isolated Strength
The Feldenkrais Method emphasizes improving the relationships between body parts. For example, by organizing the movement of your hips and pelvis in coordination with your feet, you can restore the natural lift of your arches without isolating foot muscles.
4. Proprioception Is Key
Proprioception—the body’s ability to sense its position and movement—is often impaired in people with foot pain or collapsed arches. Feldenkrais explorations are sensory movements that help improve proprioception by teaching you to feel and adjust weight distribution not just in your feet but throughout your entire body. This refined awareness supports more efficient movement and reduces strain.
5. Context Matters
Everyday activities like walking or standing involve whole-body coordination. Strengthening the foot in isolation doesn’t always translate to these dynamic contexts. The Feldenkrais approach integrates improvements into functional, real-life movements, ensuring lasting change.
You can restore the natural ability of your arches to lift and carry you by retraining your feet and body to function dynamically. This means addressing the whole-body patterns that contribute to collapsed arches or chronic pain. Practices like the Feldenkrais 1:1 sessions that focus on improving alignment, coordination, and proprioception across the entire body, are particularly effective.
Summary
What Orthotics Can Do
Cushion and redistribute weight away from stressed areas of the foot, such as the inner edge.
Reduce discomfort during shorter periods of standing or walking.
Act as an assistive tool while recovering from injury or managing chronic conditions.
What Orthotics Cannot DoRestore your feet’s natural ability to lift and dynamically carry weight.
Address systemic issues in posture, gait, or whole-body movement patterns.
Sustainably counter the downward pressure of body weight for prolonged periods of use like extended periods of standing or walking.
Replace the need to retrain your body to move efficiently and in balance.
Actionable next steps
If you decide to use orthotics, use your own sensing ability to choose the right ones. When wearing the inserts in your shoes, stand and sense how your weight is distributed across your feet. Ideally, orthotics should redistribute some of your weight away from the inside edge toward the outside edge, creating a more balanced and supported stance without overly pushing you to the outside edges of your feet. They should fit snugly without causing discomfort and feel like an extension of your feet.
Look into joining a group Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Class like this one.
Schedule a 1:1 consult if you’re in need of hands-on treatment and care.