![]() ![]() ![]() While the doctors were at least passable at identifying flat feet, there was very little agreement on what should be classified as “clearly high-arched.” This called into question the reliability of subjective judgments on arch height, even by trained doctors.įurther problems developed when the arch height-to-shoe model was tested, again in a study of military recruits. Some 246 military recruits had their feet examined by several different orthopedists and podiatrists, who were instructed to classify the feet from “1” (clearly flat-footed) to “5” (clearly high-arched). high archĪ study done by David Cowan and others in the 1990s looked at the consistency of arch height assessments done by various medical clinicians. For one, arch height wasn’t so much measured by researchers as it was subjectively described. Going along with this logic, biomechanics researchers and shoe designers hypothesized that lower arches would need more support to prevent pronation, while higher arches would need more cushioning to reduce the forces going through the foot.īut there were some problems with how these and other studies evaluated the role of arch height and stiffness. Other work suggested that flat feet were more prone to pronation, which at the time was thought to play a central role in many overuse injuries in the lower leg.Prior to that, a 1993 study at the University of Calgary suggested that a stiffer (and higher) arch in a runner could affect how the ankle joint “coupled” the foot and the lower leg, transferring more force from impact through the ankle joint and into the leg and knee.A 1999 study, for example, connected both excessively high arches and excessively low ones with overuse injuries in the foot and leg in a group of 449 naval recruits.Studying arch height as it relates to injury seems to have come into fashion in the 1980s or 1990s, when military doctors and academics examined it as a possible factor in injury rates among recruits. More importantly, we’ll examine what roll arch height plays in running injuries and shoe selection. To get to the core of the function of the stiffness, height, and flexibility of your arch when you run, we will take a look at some of the recent scientific studies on the topic. ![]() People have arches that range from very high and immobile to very flexible and almost completely flat, so you would think that arch height plays a role in the biomechanics of your foot when you run. But, is arch height and effective way to determine what shoes you need? When shopping for shoes, many running stores will recommend looking at the height of your arch to determine what kind of shoe you need. ![]()
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