Flat Feet

[Flatfoot]

Mine never really gave me any issues, aside from the occasional blisters and shin splints from running while I was active duty. I once made the mistake of buying "appropriate" running shoes, thinking they would improve my form and run-time. Instead, they just changed where I felt pain. Instead of shin splints, my ankles hurt, and my run-time got worse. I sometimes get an odd cramping, if I try to sit on them. It's like my big toe will try to separate itself from the others, quite painfully, where I'll have to bend all my toes upward and hold there til the pain passes.

I'm pretty sure there's corrective surgery that can be done (Amandabear told me 😉 ). I don't think it's so much a muscle as a ligament or tendon that's gonna get cut and/or pulled tighter and reattached. I'm not entirely sure, though. I could never imagine having it done, but that's because the thought of anything being cut or severed down there bothers me. Mine have never really caused anything I couldn't adapt to.

 

[TangerineTicklee]

Corrective surgery...

I'd like to look into it, but I don't want to be worried about being injected with chemicals or anesthesia. Is there any way that they can restructure the shape of my feet without surgery or anesthesia?

 

[wishfoot88]

Ok, this might sound weird but I like flat feet. I think they look cute and I have always likes them. It's not that I don't like arches but I do like a lesser arch or flat foot to be honest. I don't have flat feet myself though.
I'd never see anything wrong with them, never would. I just think it looks cute.
I'm sorry if this bothers anyone by the way.

And, on a side note, a chiropodist can create orthotics that will gradually remove the flatness and increase the arch. As far as I know their simple gel or foam things that go into the shoes you wear. If it really does bother you then try these. Hope it helps.

 

[TangerineTicklee]

Ok, this might sound weird but I like flat feet. I think they look cute and I have always likes them. It's not that I don't like arches but I do like a lesser arch or flat foot to be honest. I don't have flat feet myself though.
I'd never see anything wrong with them, never would. I just think it looks cute.
I'm sorry if this bothers anyone by the way.

And, on a side note, a chiropodist can create orthotics that will gradually remove the flatness and increase the arch. As far as I know their simple gel or foam things that go into the shoes you wear. If it really does bother you then try these. Hope it helps.

I love you.

I'll make note of this. 🙂 If I ever get the time and chance - granted I can do this alone, without anyone even knowing that I'm doing this (yes, I feel that weird about anyone even remotely having a clue that I'm doing this ) - I will do it. I just gotta' find a way. Gotta' be sneaky about it.

Funny. I can trust people online more than I can my own family.

 

[wishfoot88]

I love you.

I'll make note of this. 🙂 If I ever get the time and chance - granted I can do this alone, without anyone even knowing that I'm doing this (yes, I feel that weird about anyone even remotely having a clue that I'm doing this ) - I will do it. I just gotta' find a way. Gotta' be sneaky about it.

Funny. I can trust people online more than I can my own family.

Aw thanks, just glad I could help🙂

 

[pool234]

Hmm it's something that I've never really thought too too much about, but this certainly applies to me as well. I'm not sure but I feel like they give me a little bit of a problem cause they seem to act up a bit when I start doing physical activity. It's not terrible and I get over it, I'm just not sure if it's going to be more of a problem in the future. It's not something anyone's ever recommended I get surgery for but I'm not really sure what to say about that, or if I should be worried about it

 

[TangerineTicklee]

I was the same way when I was little, but when I got older - just a few years ago, actually - they started bothering me.

It's very weird. Not sure why.

 

[AmandaBear]

🙁 Sorry to read!!!! ...Not sure I want to see a podiatrist now. Oddly, the only thing that really bothers me is that a stranger would be touching them. I would, however, like to have my feet re-shaped so that I could have an arch, but I would never have surgery. Just my personal belief - I don't even believe in surgery. Just how I feel.

I won't wear sandals either. I don't wear anything that shoes off any part of my feet because of the discomfort, and because I'm usually horribly teased. I only wear tennis shoes because of it. Sometimes I sleep with my shoes and socks on, just in case something were to happen that would possibly involve my feet being seen. My mother makes fun of my flat feet and rubs it in my face. When others are around, she almost always points out that I have flat feet, just so they can all point and laugh and make twisted faces at me. (Now do you all know why this really upsets me so badly?) I've been a mockery my entire life. It really hurts. Not just my feet, but my feelings.

Well, she actually didn't touch my feet all that much. She mostly just looked at them...saw how my bare feet looked when I was walking, things like that. And yeah, I don't believe in surgery either. XD She was just scaring me a bit when she said that if I don't have the surgery soon, I'm going to have major foot problems in the future. Sounds pretty far-fetched to me, though.

Awww, there's no need to feel so self-conscious about being a flattie. =( Yeah, we may be in the minority, but it's definitely not worth treating yourself like a modern day leper. 😉

 

[alchemy]

Flat feet don't bother me.

As long as they're soft and ticklish, it's all good.

 

[TangerineTicklee]

You guys are all very awesome.

 

[Libertine]

I love you....Funny. I can trust people online more than I can my own family.

You can always talk to us, but please remember that anyone online, until you actually meet him/her IRL, or at very least chat on the phone, is just words on a screen. So be careful.

And try somehow to mend things with your own family.

 

[nenezinho]

Just for the record, i also use those insteps but just for less than a year.


I knew about my problem since childhood but i hated the corrective shoes...they were allways so dull and formal...i guess today it´s becoming different with insteps.

Anyway, i had no serious problems but i did notice i was pronne to severe muscle pan on my toes and soles, specially after playing soccer. I also find out that besides flat feet my body posture was so wrong that i was developing an injury on my hips...again, not serious unless i wanted to play professional which i didnt.

Long story short, last year i was told of a great doctor i should see and since then i use the famous insteps. The muscle pain on the toes and soles decreased since then and its almost gone! i had some trouble the 1st times i played soccer with the insteps, seemed i could not perform and had blisters, but within 2 months and with new bigger tenis shoes it felt great!

So i´d say, go for it and get some good insteps! 🙂 they really help!!!

And dont be scared, at least my doctor she barely touches my feet so no danger of tickling me. Doctors will not do that if they are professional!!!

 

[TangerineTicklee]

OrangeVibe,
Your soles are gorgeous, I would love to skitter my long nails all aroung those sexy peds!
Miss T

Well, she actually didn't touch my feet all that much. She mostly just looked at them...saw how my bare feet looked when I was walking, things like that. And yeah, I don't believe in surgery either. XD She was just scaring me a bit when she said that if I don't have the surgery soon, I'm going to have major foot problems in the future. Sounds pretty far-fetched to me, though.

Awww, there's no need to feel so self-conscious about being a flattie. =( Yeah, we may be in the minority, but it's definitely not worth treating yourself like a modern day leper.

Well, I personally would take what she said to heart. I mean, what if she is right? I wouldn't want to risk future health problems.

Understood. At the same time, it's still physically uncomfortable. If my health depends on it, I'm sure I'll do something about it.

You can always talk to us, but please remember that anyone online, until you actually meet him/her IRL, or at very least chat on the phone, is just words on a screen. So be careful.

And try somehow to mend things with your own family.

Of this I am aware. 😎

Family
That's a no-go. I loathe my family, so it's not just about not being able to trust them. It's also about ... not being able to so much as think about them without getting angry; not being able to visit them without being miserable; and not being able to talk to them about my life without being put down by them. They're not welcome in my life. No matter what.

Just for the record, i also use those insteps but just for less than a year.


I knew about my problem since childhood but i hated the corrective shoes...they were allways so dull and formal...i guess today it´s becoming different with insteps.

Anyway, i had no serious problems but i did notice i was pronne to severe muscle pan on my toes and soles, specially after playing soccer. I also find out that besides flat feet my body posture was so wrong that i was developing an injury on my hips...again, not serious unless i wanted to play professional which i didnt.

Long story short, last year i was told of a great doctor i should see and since then i use the famous insteps. The muscle pain on the toes and soles decreased since then and its almost gone! i had some trouble the 1st times i played soccer with the insteps, seemed i could not perform and had blisters, but within 2 months and with new bigger tenis shoes it felt great!

So i´d say, go for it and get some good insteps! they really help!!!

And dont be scared, at least my doctor she barely touches my feet so no danger of tickling me. Doctors will not do that if they are professional!!!

Did these insteps cause you to develop any arches or do you still have none? I personally wouldn't see the point in getting them if an natural arch in my feet didn't form and stay there. It would seem like a waste of time to me, and it might hurt me.

You see, some people who have these insteps put into their shoes say that they hurt and sometimes further damage their feet. Not always but that this sometimes happens to some people. I would rather have independent feetsies - have a way for my feet to develop arches, have the arches stay there, and not have to worry about supportive insteps for the rest of my life.

Barely - she touched them a little? I mean, that's good for you, but I have tremendously ticklish feet. Little touches tickle them. I would feel weird - not about being intentionally tickled - but being found about being ticklish by a total stranger.

Hopefully - once I have some help with my feet - I won't have these problems anymore. (Will post pictures if I grow arches!)

 

[toyou444]

Any flatties out there? How does it make you feel?

Pause.

Okay, guys, I have to be honest here. I hope I don't step on any toes when I say this, but I get the feeling - and am willing to live with it - that I will. Oh well. Can't make everyone happy.

In light of speaking my piece, I admit I hate having flat feet. I would like for some people out there to show a wee bit of sympathy, if any at all. I hate being like this. Always have. Made a huge part of my childhood a living hell. Burns like fire for me now. I experience a lot of foot pain for it, too. Sometimes just leaning them against something hurts. Not sure why. I would just like for the minority - or so I think it's the minority? - to please stand up and be noticed. I think we deserve a little bit of positive recognition as well, as there are people behind the feet who have feelings. At least I do.

Have a good day, guys.

Flat, "Fred Flinstone" feet here too.

I take very good care of them though. Lotion after every shower and every night before bed too.

I HATE SHOES AND SOCKS!

But I can't walk barefoot without them starting to hurt to I where sandals a lot...that way I can slide them off whenever I want!

I think they are nice, but I've seen pictures and they look gosh awful ugly in them...

Oh, and very, VERY ticklish too.

~ toyou

 

[TangerineTicklee]

Flat, "Fred Flinstone" feet here too.

I take very good care of them though. Lotion after every shower and every night before bed too.

I HATE SHOES AND SOCKS!

But I can't walk barefoot without them starting to hurt to I where sandals a lot...that way I can slide them off whenever I want!

I think they are nice, but I've seen pictures and they look gosh awful ugly in them...

Oh, and very, VERY ticklish too.

~ toyou

*fistbump*

I don't put lotion on them that often. Last time I did was last year, and before and after that, usually never. Mine stay so soft because I wear my socks and shoes just about all the time. It's crazy how often I have my socks and shoes on. I HATE being barefoot. Too ticklish. Just walking around on my carpet and walking on grass tickles. I also HATE sandals. I love big, comfy tennis shoes with soft cotton socks.

I'm planning on keeping my feet more moisturized, though, as there is a little bit of dryness on the sides of them. (Which is going to tickle, having them exfoliated.) (I bet you guys are gonna' want to see that? Pics? Video, maybe?) ((lol))

Well, this is the thread for flat feet! If you would like to post them, you can! I have flat feet and others don't think my feet are ugly, so I would like to see your feet. 🙂 Who knows. I might like them.

I've come to find that the preference for flat feet is actually extremely varied. Some people love flat feet and hate arched feet and other people love arched feet and hate the flat ones. It's really just a matter of preference, and preference is something that is as different and original as the shapes of snowflakes - not a single one the same.

I don't really hate my feet, but I think they look silly. Not ugly. Just silly. Look at my pictures again and see how I have those little bumpy parts on my foot? Not always there. Yeah. My foot mutates and changes. The bottoms of my feet don't always look like that! So weird!

Different Shapes My Feet Take
1. Flat. Sour cream white. Smooth as cream. Light pink outline around the wrinkles and curves of my sole. Pretty ticklish.
2. Dark pink on the thick parts, sole creamy white. Thick parts are bumpy like a pickle. Rather smooth. Feet are most ticklish at this stage.
3. Bottoms of feet are completely white. No color. Rather smooth. Slight yellow color when I curl my toes. Feet are least ticklish at this stage.

Not sure why this is so...

 

[nenezinho]

humm

- Nop! i do not believe the insteps will ever make my feet develop arches. not really!

- lost of time??? that´s because either you have no really big problem or you do not really push your body. I was developing potential serious injuries due to the weight inbalances i had. So the insteps were not an option, they were a need if i want to keep playing soccer weekly with friends and keep my body well. Depending of the degree of inbalance one has, this can really have some consequences on a long run.

- if it hurts??? if it hurts you go to the doctor again and see what´s going wrong. It´s not supposed to hurt. In the first days, maybe you feel it a lot as your body is shifting to find a different balance. But then it should be ok. Mine were slightly corrected 1 month in and i had to buy new shoes, specially tenis shoes for soccer. But once i did that, the 1st weeks was a bit agressive playing with the insteps but it was clearly getting better. Since then it´s been perfectly fine and i had no more injuries.

 

[TangerineTicklee]

humm

- Nop! i do not believe the insteps will ever make my feet develop arches. not really!

- lost of time??? that´s because either you have no really big problem or you do not really push your body. I was developing potential serious injuries due to the weight inbalances i had. So the insteps were not an option, they were a need if i want to keep playing soccer weekly with friends and keep my body well. Depending of the degree of inbalance one has, this can really have some consequences on a long run.

- if it hurts??? if it hurts you go to the doctor again and see what´s going wrong. It´s not supposed to hurt. In the first days, maybe you feel it a lot as your body is shifting to find a different balance. But then it should be ok. Mine were slightly corrected 1 month in and i had to buy new shoes, specially tenis shoes for soccer. But once i did that, the 1st weeks was a bit agressive playing with the insteps but it was clearly getting better. Since then it´s been perfectly fine and i had no more injuries.

- Okay then. I don't want them! LOL.
- Lost ... time? I don't think I said anything about lost time. Just walking hurts them. I'd love to be physically active, if only walking didn't hurt my feet all the time! I'd love to run. I'm a running type of person. If I could, I would run track. 🙂 I would love that.
- I didn't get them from the doctor. I got these shoes from a regular store, and they have arches in them. My feet hurt worse in these than they do in shoes that I've had that don't have arch support.

You may be right or wrong about the insteps enabling your feet to grow arches, as it might depend on the person - possibly related somewhat to their DNA and whether or not the genes in their body are coded to be able to handle growing and keeping arches in the feet - but at any rate, if all of my other options don't work, I might consider surgery to have them put in. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure about this, guys. If I can, I would MUCH prefer growing them.

 

[nenezinho]

The only thing i can assure you is that if you have proper professional help, be it insteps or any other method....if it´s really professional, it will help.

From my experience i do not feel any pain today and my feet are not in anyway damaged. i take good care of them and need no special extra care since i have the insteps. I do admit i had blisters the first 2 weeks i played soccer with the insteps, but this i was told it was due to the feet being to tight by the presence of the instep, and i was further advised either to buy larger tenis shoes or have thiner socks with them. I went to try and buy different tenis shoes (which i tryed with the insteps) and since then no more blisters.

My doctor is available by e-mail if i have any trouble or any doubts on what to do. We solved the blisters without any extra appointment or extra money and then they even offered to check again and correct the insteps for free....which they did slightly.

So as you see...if it´s good professionals, they will help!!!! And if you have problems, you should look for help. You earn nothing from living in pain.

 

[Tooticklish4u]

Yes, you should try to get some custom fit arch supports made for you. They can do that at a podiatrist office, (Ask for a female doctor) and over the course of time, your muscles will learn to adapt and make you arch naturally, depending on your age. By most adulthood, the bones in your feet will be at full growth, so not sure if it will help since I don't know how old you are. But, if you are experiiencing pain, then it is a serious issue and should be addressed. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, swetie.
Tiffany

 

[Gemini_Tickle]

Hey Orange! If you really did want to go to the doctor then maybe you should just tell them that you are really ticklish...then at least it wouldn't feel like they were "finding you out" so to speak...and maybe you could even tell them that you are nervous about laughing too much if they touch you and can they just look...

Do you know about autonomic, progressive relaxation...it's where you consciously relax your body...i am SUPER ticklish but this is one way that i can lessen the degree of ticklishness...like...this is how I can get a pedicure w/o kicking the lady in the face! LOL...it doesn't work if i'm being filmed...i've tried it...but in regular life situations it helps...

xoxo

 

[unit5610]

I'll admit that many years ago I was quite partial to high arches, but certainly never to the extent that it would affect my impression of anybody. This makes little difference to me anymore, I enjoy any female foot shape and size as long as they're soft and taken care of. It sucks that elements of your family have so little consideration and think its fun to make fun of you for flat feet...how shallow.
I love your pics and love that you posted them for us!

 

[TangerineTicklee]

Yes, you should try to get some custom fit arch supports made for you. They can do that at a podiatrist office, (Ask for a female doctor) and over the course of time, your muscles will learn to adapt and make you arch naturally, depending on your age. By most adulthood, the bones in your feet will be at full growth, so not sure if it will help since I don't know how old you are. But, if you are experiiencing pain, then it is a serious issue and should be addressed. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, swetie.
Tiffany

I'm 19.
Do you think that they will grow if I get insteps then? What do I do in order to get the arches then, if insteps don't work?

(I'm sorry, but it just makes me so angry that I have to deal with this. Really mad. How in the world did I get the genetics passed on into my blood to where I have to work in order to get arches? I think that's crazy. What in the hell happened to my family's bloodline for this crazy, painful foot shape to come into place?)

Hey Orange! If you really did want to go to the doctor then maybe you should just tell them that you are really ticklish...then at least it wouldn't feel like they were "finding you out" so to speak...and maybe you could even tell them that you are nervous about laughing too much if they touch you and can they just look...

Do you know about autonomic, progressive relaxation...it's where you consciously relax your body...i am SUPER ticklish but this is one way that i can lessen the degree of ticklishness...like...this is how I can get a pedicure w/o kicking the lady in the face! LOL...it doesn't work if i'm being filmed...i've tried it...but in regular life situations it helps...

xoxo

One of my social rules - I know it's weird, but this is just how I am as an Aspie - I don't talk about my ticklishness to strangers. That's a part of my problem - I just don't talk about it to people I don't know. I mean, it's different if it's on here :rolleye: because this is a place for people with tickle fetishes, but out in public ... I cannot bring myself to talk about it with others. Again, it's another aspect of my Asperger's that I deal with. But thanks for the suggestion! 🙂

No, I've never heard of that form of relaxation. I never get pedicures, either, mainly for that reason. I also don't do it because I'm not good with strangers in general - touching me or non. I get kinda' mean - sometimes - when people so much as stand too close to me.

I'm not really a relaxation type of person. I'm almost always stressed and in a bad mood. As an Aspie, I'm seldom happy unless I'm alone. (Thanks for the suggestions, though. Please don't think they go unappreciated.) 🙂

I'll admit that many years ago I was quite partial to high arches, but certainly never to the extent that it would affect my impression of anybody. This makes little difference to me anymore, I enjoy any female foot shape and size as long as they're soft and taken care of. It sucks that elements of your family have so little consideration and think its fun to make fun of you for flat feet...how shallow.
I love your pics and love that you posted them for us!

If I get arches - and my feet look better - I'll replace the flat foot ones with the arched ones. 😎 Glad you enjoyed.

 

[whyguy2]

there is nothing wrong with flat feet. I saw the pics of your feet and I think they are quite cute 🙂

 

[taptoematt]

For most of my life, I didn't get any pain from it until just a few years ago. I'm not sure where the foot pain came from, but my flat feet randomly hurt now. When I was younger they would go numb and fall asleep when I stood on them.

I'd see a podiatrist about it, but I'm worried about being tickled/getting them touched by a stranger. It would disturb me somewhat. Again - - not sure why.

Question
Anyone here know if it's possible to stretch your foot muscles in order to grow *at least* a small arch so that you have better posture and better balance? I know someone who told me that this is so and that it's what she experienced. I know that arch is mainly bone structure, but I'm pretty sure some of it is muscle, too. Any way to get at least a small one, so that you can walk better and feel better? (And - possibly - not be a turn off?) 😀

My advise at your young age is to do like many have already said, see a podiatrist or chiropodist. Pes planus or flatfeet can affect your bio mechanics as well as give you much pain. Pes planus comes in two forms, flexible and inflexible. The most common being flexible, can be addressed with orthodics or physical therapy, which can relieve the condition and sometimes give you a very slight arch. Inflexible can only be treated with surgery or casting and is a more serious variety.
You really should have it evaluated by a medical professional, ticklish or not.

 

[Nick.the.Greek]

Hi to you all flatfeet people and many greetings form Europe!
I actually had a foot surgery a few months ago. I am 36 and a physician myself.
I had a flexible pes planus, which gave me much pain, after walking 5 minutes long I got some serious pain. I am always the most slow person when walking because of this. I had tried inserts 20 years long without any success. There were beginning signs of an arthritis because of the flat foot.
Now my foot has a (small) arch and doesn´t give me any pain. It also looks better than before, if you ignore the scars. The ticklishness hasn't been affected! ;-)
The indication for an operation is pain and arthitis. Most flat feet don't give you any pain thought, mine did.
I had to look hard to find a specialist, I visited 4 different orthopaedists. From my experience, physicians from the US would hesitate more to operate a flat foot, because it is not a major health issue and they are afraid of law suits. Here in Germany though, we have a extended surgery tradition in all fields. At any case, it is not a standard surgery procedure and most orthopaedists and physiotherapists have no clue about it and would discourage the patient to do it.
Most surgery procedures are based on a lateral column calcaneal lengthening, which is a bone lengthening with a bone transplant, combined with some soft tissue corrections, like streching of some ligaments or lengthening of the achilles tendon. You can google it.
One major disadvantage is, that you have to stay at hospital/home at least for one month and have the operated foot at a higher level than you body, so that it doesn't swell too much. You have to walk on a special shoe, which looks like a skiing boot, for about two months.
Anyway, I am happy I did it and I recommend it to all the flatfeet people with pain!

Cheers

Nick