r/flatfeet

Hey everyone,

Just had reconstructive surgery a little over 2 weeks ago for flexible flat foot with arthritis in the subtalar joint.

Im a 34 year old male that has had flat feet my entire life. A few strains and fractured foot later; I found myself with pain in my left foot that would never quit! Everyone knows how the story goes if you been at this long enough... I've been lurking in this thread for years.

I've had 10 different off the shelf orthotics, many rounds of therapy, steroids, 1 podiatrist and 2 foot and ankle surgeons- all to come to the point of surgical intervention.

I had the following procedures:

-Subtalar fusion with hindfoot medializing

-Spring ligament repair

-Posterior tibial tendon repair

-Cotton osteotomy

-two tendon transfers

-Hoke Achilles lengthening

Day 0 was rough as hell. I had aearing pain on the inside of my foot where the post tib tendon is. The PACU nurse gave me some strong pain meds and told me to stay on schedule. The nerve block last almost 4 days for me but I still took the prescription pain meds every 4 hours for the first 3 days for fear of pain returning in the one hot spot. It was crazy waking up to that right after anesthesia.

Once I made it home reality started to set in a bit.

I was super clumsy with the crutches and super nauseated from the anesthesia. I thought I was gonna kill myself taking a deuce day 1 post op! I'm 6'4 and 325lbs so I purchased an all terrain knee rover on ebay for like $200.I highly recommend it for anyone non weight bearing for up to 8 weeks. It has been a life saver even though we take up too much space everywhere we go. 🤣

Had to get a splint change day 2 post op as it was too short (slide #2) and I could see the cuts on my achilles but I could not see my toes. The recovery nurse told me to check my toes for temp and blood but HOW?! The PA who put the splint on had no idea what they were doing apparently. I worked in a trauma center for a while with physical therapy as a tech and was really close with the ortho tech. I knew the splint wasn't right so I send pictures to the surgeon who had me come into the office immediately for a splint change (new splint-slide #1). I had no appetite and pain meds/anesthesia were kicking my ass so going to that appt was taxing but worth it. I was much more supported after the change.

The next 12 days or so have been me getting used to the new temporary normal and resting as much as I could. I couldn't sleep for more than 3-4 hrs but it's gradually gotten better along with the strength in my non operative leg and mobility in general.

I posted some random images with the thread. Overall, the recovery is brutal and I knew this, so I've been good about getting over all the crazy feelings that come with things like this. The pain after day 0-1 has been minimal compared to the pain I was in leading up to the surgery. I just had my 2 week follow up and will make another post with an update sometime this weekend.

If you have questions I'll try to answer ASAP.

I had my first post operative appointment this past week. The PA didn't say much, just told me to keep up the vitamin D and aspirin. Elevating as much as possible and weaning NSAIDs but I haven't taken half of the pain meds prescribed and no Tylenol or Ibuprofen in over week.

The stitches were removed and short leg cast was applied. I almost passed out when they took those stitches out! Which is funny to me considering how big and generally tough I am when it comes to a lot of things. I have multiple piercings and tats. Lol

All was well first day getting the cast just to find out I have a bit of claustrophobia the few days after application. Anvtime my foot swelled, I got a numb feeling combined with these intense zaps- more instense than signals from normal nerve healing in my opinion. I had more general foot pain in the cast than the splint, too. I didn't know if I was being dramatic or if something was wrong, so I contacted the doctor and had a check up. First thing the doctor said when he came in was thar the cast was not placed in neutral position and was likely applying pressure to the incision on the top of my foot. It was reapplied with my foot at 90° and it made a world of difference. I was initially put in a position with my foot flexed for an achilles rupture repair but I had the Hoke tendo-achilles lengthening procedure. There was a significant difference in comfort with the m newer cast.

Not going to lie though, after the 1st post-op appointment I was a little defeated and scared. It was the fact my foot did not feel like it belonged to me when the splint got taken off. Also, my surgeon's PA seems so cold and distant in comparison to him. Between FMLA/short term disability paperwork issues with HR and issues with the casts/splint- I'm sure the PA has been annoyed with me. I understand patients can be annoying but after years working in healthcare/health insurance, I've learned that no one is going to care about you as much as YOU. I always tell people to advocate hard for themselves and their loved ones. Luckily my doc is gonna have me on his schedule from now on and I didnt even have to ask!

I knew what I was in for but there's no preparing you for the mind and body response to these things if you've never experienced major surgery or a lengthy non-weight bearing status.

All that said, I am definitely going to be okay and I'm taking it easy for the most part. I'm doing theraband exercises for upper bodv and lots of leg raises, quad and glute sets, bicvcle kicks. and whatever I can think of to not become de-conditioned. I'm mobilizing much better with one leg and have driven a couple times to get coffee or food and that has been a huge mental boost.

I'm just happy to be here and am amazed by modern medicine and technology. The knee scooter and crutches have both served me well, but the all terrain knee rover wins! I can go anywhere!

Again, ask all the questions you want! I have time lol

Despite my initial reservations, I ultimately proceeded with the purchase of the shoe.

Was having much pain in my arch

I kept running into the same problem as a tennis player and runner, because I kept leaning towards unsupportive nike or hanes socks rather than actual supportive socks because tbh they didn't match my outfits and stuck out a lot. I have flat feet and plantar fasciitis and socks do help manage me pain a lot, but I often choose aesthetics over support. Curious how many people run into that tradeoff too.

I have flat feet and superpronated ankles and am always looking for that special pair of shoes, boots, sandals that don’t cause me pain. I had a pair of redwings years ago, I think supersole 2.0, in a 9B loved them. Tried different styles, got custom orthotics and still pain. Bought a pair of White’s Perry Select 8”. These things rock!! Super supportive, other than feeling in my arch needing some support I don’t wear my orthotics in them. These aren’t safety toe and work requires safety toe. I bought a pair of wingshooters XD. I feel my ankles turn, with my orthotics I feel like I have to constantly turn my ankles out and basically stand on the sides of my feet. Why are my White’s supportive and the Irish Setters not? I also bought a pair of Elk Trackers for hunting and same thing they’re a 10” boot. I just want to be able to work and walk around without my knees, ankles and feet killing me.

Hi everyone,

I'm 30 years old and living in the UK and I'm hoping someone might have some advice or point me in the right direction...

I've had flat feet for as long as I can remember. As a child I was pigeon-toed (in-toeing) and wore insoles but over the years my feet seem to have become flatter and my ankles roll inwards much more.

I also have brachyolmia type 4, which is a rare skeletal dysplasia... although I'm not sure whether my feet are related to that or not.

The problem is the pain. My feet hurt every single day. I wear supportive trainers almost all the time because other shoes are unbearable, but I still have:

aching feet

pain around my ankles

Achilles tendon pain

pain with walking and standing

pain probably 90% of the time

I was seen by an NHS podiatrist who provided insoles but was basically told there wasn't much else they could offer.

I'm finding that really hard to accept because I'm only 30 and already in constant pain.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Are there treatments beyond insoles that helped?

Has anyone needed braces, different orthotics or surgery?

Should I be pushing for a referral to an orthopaedic foot and ankle specialist?

I've attached a photo of my feet standing naturally in case it's helpful. Picture 1 is from around a year ago. Picture 2 is today (unsure if there is any change!)

Any advice would be really appreciated because I'm not sure where to go from here. Thanks all

so i went to a shoe/insole store where they sell orthotics and none of the flat feet orthotic fit me because of my super flat feet and the little bump on the arch and i don't know if its normal or something and is there a way to get rid of it or be less flat? if you get what i mean. (im sorry if my english is a little off its my 3rd languange)

My 5 year old son was diagnosed with bilateral pes planovalgus. His podiatrist gave him over the counter orthotics. But his pediatrician thinks he still has time to develop an arch because of his age. And the orthotics can cause pain.

Also does it look like rigid flat feet? He does get calf and thigh pains on the days of increased activities. What do you guys think we should do? Is there still a chance to develop an arch?

No pain or any discomfort. Infact mom has been pushing back that I’m being too much in trying to help him or with any assistance with better shoes or exercise. Will this be okay to just let it go?unseen? Or how can I help him?
Get him home Clifton? Or Arahi?

I didn't know about this but today i Chatgpt about it and he told me to take a pic of my feet from behind. I was experiencing pain in my medial arch

I have flat feet and currently weigh 100kgs and I'm 6ft tall doing 18-20k steps daily... Which shoe would u guys recommend me

Currently using nike revolution 7

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Hi everyone,

I have flat feet, and I've been struggling with pain and instability whenever I stand continuously for about 2 hours. The pain is mainly in my feet, and I feel like my feet don't provide enough support, making it difficult to stay comfortable for long periods.

I'm looking for the best shoes for flat feet, especially if you've personally used them for long hours of standing or walking. I'm willing to spend more if they're truly worth it, but I'd also appreciate budget-friendly recommendations.

A few questions:

- Which shoes worked best for your flat feet?

- Did they reduce pain and improve stability?

- Do you use arch support insoles as well? If so, which ones?

- Are there any shoes I should avoid?

For context:

- Height: 170 cm

- Weight: 78 kg

- I often have to stand for long periods.

I'd really appreciate recommendations based on real-world experience. Thanks!

Hi everyone! New to this sub. Is this bad enough for surgery based on your own experience? Mild pain. I also have an accessory navicular bone which gives me more pain than my bunion. Doctor said it’s more about my pain tolerance and is okay with surgery but says this is not terrible. My navicular bone causes me to walk unstably so I wanted to remove that and fix the bunion too.

How bad do these look? I’m getting regular pain on my right side.

Doctor did less than planned. It’s been a painful week with a lot of boredom. Thank you everyone in the group that gave me tips. Went in today to check the foot doctor said looks good and I have an arch now!