Flat Feet

Dear Dr. Mirkin: My grandson has very flat feet. How can I
persuade his mother that he needs special shoes?
In previous generations flat feet kept many men out of
the army. Now we know that flat feet help you run faster and
jump higher. Most people with flat feet have normal arches.
Their arches appear to be flat because during running and
walking, their feet roll inward so far that they touch the ground
and you can't see them. During running, your foot strikes the
ground with a force equal to more than three times body weight.
Landing flat footed transmits this force up your leg to damage
muscles, bones and joints. Feet are supposed to be shock
absorbers. Instead of landing on the whole bottom of your foot,
you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward
toward your arch. This is called pronation, which helps to
prevent injuries by dissipating the force of your footstrike and
keeping it from being directed at any one part of your leg or foot.
The more you roll in, the harder you foot hits the ground to drive
you forward with greater force and help you run faster. Almost all
sprinters and halfbacks have pronated flat feet.
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