Do You Have High Arches, Flat Feet or Something In Between?
Are you going to buy new footwear? What are the important things to consider? Measuring your feet size, exploring different options available, footwear material, their quality, etc. But has anybody told you to check the type of your foot arch?
The arch of the foot is a slightly curved area along the bottom of the foot between the ball and the heel formed by tarsal and metatarsal bones. The arches in your feet carry your body weight, absorb shock, and help you to balance. Checking your arch type is very important to select the right footwear.
Let’s understand more about arches and how to know your foot arch type.
What Different Types Of Foot Arches Are There?
There are three types of arches in human feet- the medial, lateral, and traverse arches. They all have their own functions to provide support and balance to the feet.
Medial Arch:
This type of arch is the highest and most prominent in our feet. It is on the inside the feet between from the ball of your foot to the heel. Medial Arch provides shock absorption and momentum during walking, running and jumping.
Lateral Arch:
This type of arch is less prominent and parallel to the medial arch and lies on the ground in the standing position. The two feature of this arch is solidity and its slight elevation. It helps transmit body weight and helps feet to make more contact with the ground than the medial one.
Transverse Arch:
This type of arch is across the mid-foot from outside to inside, crossing under the sole. The medial and lateral longitudinal arches act as pillars for the transverse arch and this arch also provides support and flexibility to the foot.
The type of these foot arches and the other tissues of the foot, define your foot type.
The most common foot types are:
NORMAL ARCH (MEDIUM)
Is the middle part of your arch is about halfway filled with a noticeable curve? Congratulations, you are having a perfectly normal foot arch with proper height to distribute your body weight evenly and absorb the impact from walking or any other physical activity.
FLAT ARCH (LOW)
If your foot rolls in while walking (overpronate) and your foot is completely in contact with the ground. There are no arches in the feet and it puts additional stress to the feet and knees.
HIGH ARCH (LOW)
If your foot arch is raised more than normal, you are having a high arch foot. Your foot does not pronate much and it becomes difficult to absorb the shocks from walking and other activities.
But the question is How Do You Measure Foot Arch Height?
Determine Your Foot Arch Type (in 3 Easy Steps!)
All you need to do is take a simple take the wet test to check out your footprint! Here are the easy steps:
- Pour water into a shallow pan with enough water to wet the entire bottom of the feet
- Step into the water with one foot, remove it carefully and step onto a flattened brown paper bag or piece of cardboard
- Remove your foot from the bag/cardboard and have a look at the footprint
Repeat the process with your other foot.
What Type Of Footwear YOU should wear for your arch type?
Best Footwear For Normal Arches
You are lucky that you have normal arches. However, to keep your arches in good shape, it is important to select footwear that properly fits you and provide better support. You can buy footwear with proper cushioning and arch support to get more comfort and avoid wearing heels for any foot-related problems in future.
Best Footwear For Flat Feet
If you are having flat feet, your feet won’t have arches to balance your body weight. You need to select footwear with proper arch support, a well-cushioned footbed, deep heel cup to maintain proper foot realignment and maintain pressure relief of the plantar fascia with heel strike. You can flat feet footwear as well as custom orthotics which are designed as per your foot shape to get better support.
Best Footwear For High Arches
For high arches, you need to wear footwear with extra cushioning. Consider With a custom orthotics made cork footbed which will create your foot to reduce pain and balance issue.
Now you know everything about the arches and how to determine your foot arch, buy comfortable footwear that will support your body weight to