The truth is it’s not about the height of your arch and everything to do with your foot function. Nothing is more important than our physical foundation.
From a young age I’d been told I’ll never be able to run properly because of my ‘flat feet’. Like many other pre-Pose runners I’d spent a lot of time and money on orthotics. Since discovering the Pose method of running I’ve ditched my orthotics and run with no problems. In fact Pose running has built a new level of skill and foot strength that allows me to enjoy bare foot running as a daily exhilarating experience that enhances my life in many ways.
The problem was not my flat feet, it was heal striking, lack of elasticity and a poor perception of gravity. Heel striking requires the body to roll over the foot during support time. This brings excessive loading of the foot for anyone, but in particular for flat feet folk. Ball of foot striking eliminates this overloading for everyone.
In the Pose Method® the loading is significantly reduced by having a shorter time of support, less leveraging and not using muscular efforts to produce a “push off” by foot activity, which, in general, allows the runner to avoid and postpone negative consequences. But most importantly for me the Pose Method is teaching and training the proper muscular activity of the feet, increasing their functional strength and mobility, and eventually facilitating the healing process no matter what your foot shape is.
These are the feet of the fastest man in the world.
In a recent clinical study* using Kistler force platforms and lateral radiographs it was shown that there is no correlation between force peaks or load rate peaks with arch shape. Advances in technology just help us prove something Da Vinci knew a long time ago. In 1905 a study** of 800 people of different racial origins concluded that the height and shape of the arch are of no value in estimating the strength or usefulness of the foot, and that normal feet have high, medium and low arches in the same proportion as feet with painful arches. In 1947 a study*** of 3500+ canadian soldiers concluded that “it is evident that we can not be content merely to recognise the deformity of flat foot. Our concern is with function. If this is good it matters little whether the longitudinal arch is depressed”.
Fear of your feet is engrained by a global industry built on custom orthotics and stability controlled shoes. Landing correctly is just the start of a journey of movement freedom. The freedom of choice is all we have, trust in your natural engineering.
*Lees, A, Haynes A, Phillipson A, Klenerman, L. Shock absorption characteristics of the forefoot and it’s relationship to medial longitudinal arch height. Foot Ankle Int 2005; in press.
**Hoffmann P. Conclusions drawn from a comparitive study of feet of barefooted and shoe wearing peoples. Am J Orthopaed Surg. 1905; iii: 105-135
***Harris Rl, Beath T. Army Foot Survey. Vol I. Ottawa: National Research Council of Canada; 1947.
‘There is no such thing as flat feet and today the military forces are more concerened with recruiting high arched people than the so called flat footers’, “I am finding good practical applications for POSE movement theories every day with my patients” - Mark Green
Most suitable walk running shoes for ladies…?
Hi, I suggest a visit to a Terra Plana store and try for yourself the feeling of the Vivo Barefoot shoes. There are many unisex versions. What ever you choose from whichever manufacturer ensure there is no or minimal heel, good flex of the sole, no tapering from heel to toe, sufficient toe box space and an ability for the heel to move freely. Happy Running, Naeem