help w/ a

i have what i believe to be a 'fallen arch' although it has never been diagnosed as such. this is a long-winded bit of background, but bottom-line i'm looking for information about treatment of a fallen arch. any sort of exercises or massage therapy or other treatments would be most appreciated!

read on:

my feet have _very_ high arches. when i make wet footprints on concrete, for instance, there is barely any print along the outside of my arches. however, i experienced sudden pain in my left arch during my junior year in high school. in addition to the extreme discomfort, my left foot no longer felt stable and i no longer felt a solid 'drive' off the ball of my foot. the pain was extreme and i compensated w/ my gait...which led to a stress-fracture, ending my track career.

that was 17 years ago (whoa!).

in the time since, i have gotten a series of custom orthotics that help with the discomfort. while the pain is manageable, the arch in my left foot has fallen noticeably - now my left footprint shows more contact along the outside of the arch compared to my right foot - although it's by no means flat.

so now i've got this left foot that's sore when i wake up, requires that i wear orthotics to mitigate pain during the day, and feels soft and i cant really drive off the ball of my foot anymore. this stinks!

again, any tips re: exercises or massage therapy or other treatments would be most appreciated!

walter manning

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Walter:

Some Exercises to Strengthen the Stirrup Muscles and Protect the Plantar Fasca

Here's an exercise to help work these muscles Posterior Tibialis and Peroneus (stirrup muscles) which help stabilize the ankle and are suppose to be working so that the plantar fascia doesn't have to take any excessive strain.

Stand with feet about four inches apart so that the feet are and not /.

Bend knees and place left foot so it is straight ahead and left heel is about 6 to 10 inches ahead of the right toe...and still maintaining the four inches apart. =left foot

... =rt. foot

Allow your legs to straighten and shift weight so that weight is between the two feet.

Lift onto the balls of the feet so that the heels are off the ground three-quarters of an inch. While on the balls of the feet, you should be able to wiggle your toes to prove you're balanced on the ball of the foot. (That leaning forward so that the toes have to dig in can be one of the causes of hammer toes.)

Keep your body erect, hands resting at the sides of the body, eyes ahead and on the horizon, and head erect.

Keeping your body erect and balanced between the two feet, slowly lower the body as far as comfortable. At first you may need to touch the back of a chair, or wall, or table with one hand to maintain balance. At first you may not be able to go down very far because of tightness in the knees.

Do 10 bends with the left foot forward and then 10 bends (as far down so that there is no knee strain) with the right foot forward.

Do twice a day.

Each day add another single bend of the knees until you get to twenty. Great little exercise while waiting in lines.

As you get better you'll find that you can go down deeper and that also you don't wobble as much.

The muscles you're using are the two muscle groups which keep you from overpronating: the peroneus and the posterior tibialis. You are also working the shin and calf plus the bending of the knees with the body erect allows for the elasticity of the knee joints and the flexibility of the thighs.

In health and on the run, Ozzie Gontang Maintainer - rec.running FAQ Director, San Diego Marathon Clinic, est. 1975

Mindful Running: http://www.mindfulness.com/mr.asp http://www.faqs.org/faqs/running-faq/

THIS STUFF REALLY HELPS! my first steps of the day are no longer filled with pain. it _feels_ like i'm getting more drive off the ball of my left foot. MANY THANKS!