How to Fix Flat Feet and improve your squat

Want to fix flat feet so you can do a proper squat? Then, read this post to learn how to squat perfectly without flat feet!

Your feet’s positioning plays an important role in proper squatting (1). With flat feet, not only your squat is affected, but your performance too. You can get knee, ankle or hip pain with improper squatting. When you’re doing this exercise to enjoy the benefits, flat feet can create problems for you. To avoid flat feet while squatting, read this post till the end.

What Is the Problem when Squatting With Flat Feet?

Squatting with flat feet means the inside part of your foot is flat on the ground during your squat. When you have an arch in your food during squatting, it helps you perform better by absorbing the load that occurs due to any task. Squatting with flat feet will make it hard for you to maintain your balance for long; hence it should be fixed.

Why Is Squatting With Flat Feet Bad?

The arch inside your feet acts as a shock absorber device and protects you from harming yourself during heavy workouts. When your feet are flat on the surface and the space between the floor and foot isn’t present, no arch is created as a shock absorber. In such cases, your hips and knees tolerate all the load and stress from squatting. If you continue squatting in such a position, you may injure yourself soon.

It’s not like everyone gets injured due to improper squatting, but knee pain is seen in every case (2). Anyone who squats with flat feet suffers from knee pain because the inward rotation of the tibia or shin bone occurs in this case.

In addition to knee pain, people also suffer from ankle and foot pain when their arch isn’t correct during squatting. Many athletes complain that the bottom of their feet hurts badly when they squat with flat feet.

Causes of Flat Feet While Squatting

There major causes of flat feet while squatting are given below:

Genetics

Sometimes the problem isn’t in the way you’re doing your squat but in your genetics. Many people are born with flat feet and for them, it’s hard to maintain an arch during squatting. But this genetic default can’t stop you from achieving a perfect arch while squatting because there are many ways you can fix this condition for proper squatting.

Weak muscles

If you’ve heard people talking about ligament laxity, then don’t confuse it with weak muscles. Ligament laxity means loose ligaments that can weaken your muscles and lead to joint stability issues. Weak muscles and ligament laxity go hand in hand. If you have any of these issues, the other can occur as a consequence and affect your normal arch while squatting by making your feet flat.

Lack of understanding of squatting mechanics

When you’re just starting squatting, your flat feet may be due to a lack of understanding of squatting mechanics. If you don’t understand how to properly position your feet, ankles, knees and hips while squatting (3), you won’t be able to achieve a perfect arch, which is essential.

How to Fix Flat Feet While Squatting?

Now you understand the consequences of squatting with flat feet, so the next step is finding ways to fix it because if you’re squatting with flat feet, you’re doing more harm to your body than good. It’s not something that you can’t correct, so you shouldn’t choose the option to live with flat feet while squatting. There are many tools and exercises that can help you correct flat feet while squatting and these include:

Alleviate the tight muscles in the calf and foot

Before you start working on the muscles that can improve your arch, you need to alleviate the tight muscles in the foot and calf. These muscles are overworked and will affect your arch, causing flat feet. A good warm-up session can relieve the tight tissues in your muscles. Some exercises that you can try to alleviate tight muscles in the calf and foot are:

Rolling the bottom of the foot
Rolling the outside of the calf

Do you need to wear orthodics

Orthotics are customized tools you can keep inside your shoe to fix flat feet. This is a solution that many doctors recommend, an insole that can help you to have a proper form, but it wont strengthen your muscles thou.

Strengthen the muscles that support the arch of the foot

There are three primary muscles in your body that can cause flat feet and by fixing them, you can get rid of this condition. These muscles are:

Big toe muscles
Posterior tibialis
Glute medius

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Implement proper squat cues

Trying to cue your feet on the ground is the most crucial cue to help you if you have flat feet. Here are some things you can do to implement proper squat cues:

Feel the floor with your feet
Claw the floor with your feet
Screw your feet outward on the floor

Food and supplements that can help

The lost of elasticity and strength in tendons and ligaments is the most common cause for losing the feet arch.

Rich food in Omega3 and Collagen is probably the best option to reinforse this part of the body, together with daily exercise

Bottom Line

Here ends our guide for fixing flat feet while squatting. Remember and follow the tips and tricks you learned here for a perfect squat.

FIX YOUR FLAT FEET - REGAIN YOUR FEET ARCH