Any other skaters with flat feet? Your experience?

[Torre]

   I have had flat feet my whole life. They may have even flattened over time ever more from skating, if you believe the myth that skating can cause flat feet.
   In my first years of skating before my hiatus, there wasn’t much I could do about it to deal. It often was the case that my skate shoes wouldn’t fit right and I’d have to tighten the laces so much for a snug fit that it looked goofy, not to mention with a size 13 shoe since age 12. I
After I stopped skating in the mid 2000 and started again around 2016, I found there were more options for people with flat feet. The shoes are sleeker now and can be tied tight and look good, as those puffy, ultra padded shoes went out of favor. Also, being a bit older, (I was in my late 20’s when I came back) when I’d skate I’d have cramps in my feet and pain in my knees, hips, and back.
   Probably the most effective things I did to improve aspects of my skating affected by my flat feet, as well as resolving the pain in my joints and feet after skating is that I invested in Footprint insoles (only the “Orthotic models). Both the Kingfoam Orthotic and Gamechanger orthotic made my shoes fit better, and improved my performance drastically, while reducing my pain. There are no stock insoles that worked for me so far. And using sleeker shoes and not being afraid to look like a doof by tying my shoes tight helped.
   What’s your experience with skating with flat feet? How does it affect your skating and what did you do about it if anything? Any suggestions for other people skating with flat feet?

[brownjenkin]

I always had pretty flat feet, but now the arch on my left foot almost completely disappears when a I bear my weight on that side. Too many ankle injuries that I didn't let heal properly and now my foot compensates by flattening to give me more dorsiflexion on that side.

All I've really noticed is a bit of pain in the heel of my extra-flat foot after longer sessions, but nothing too drastic. I also can't skate in shoes with zero arch support like classic Vans or Chucks, which is no big deal. I'm 38 and want a bit more shock absorption anyway.

[radcunt]

Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

[jay_nev]

Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

thank you for the honest review. Tough to tell without seeing or trying them -  and they ain’t cheap

[rocklobster]

I have really flat feet and bought performance insoles (SuperFeet Copper) for my hiking and running shoes. They really made trail conditions and the road work more bearable by taking the strain off the knees. Usually when you have flat feet your ankles and knees to pronate, which used to cause me sharp pains in my knees when climbing stairs or running more than 5km.

Tried them out with skate shoes and they were too stiff, the foot feel was weird too after riding flat footed for decades. If they had a model with more cushioning while correcting the arch I would love to try them out.

[Lashes2ashes]

Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

extremely hard disagree, I was seventy pounds over weight for fifteen years, so my arches have completely collapsed. Those insoles are the only ones I can use. Just tried to skate in the new vans popcush yesterday and after fifteen minutes my feet hurt so bad I could barely walk. With the heat molded footprints I can skate for hours no problem. Did you do a standing heat mold or the one we’re you walk around?

[whatsreallygood]

If you guys want a little exercise to improve the arch of your foot, while you're sitting and chilling, put a coin or something similar under the ball of your foot. What you're gonna wanna do is try to push the coin into the ground, without your heel leaving the ground as well. This should case your foot to tense up and arch. You can also walk on your tippy toes around the house lol. The only reason I know this is from physio after a medical issue which caused me to be really slouched and lean a certain way to avoid nerve pains, thus unevenly putting weight on one leg and fucking up my arches. Also I threw some nice insoles into my walking/chilling shoes and got some good runners for the gym. All that shit helped me a bunch. Also focus on not pronating your feet when you walk, it can fuck up your ankles if I recall right.

[radcunt]

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Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

[close]

extremely hard disagree, I was seventy pounds over weight for fifteen years, so my arches have completely collapsed. Those insoles are the only ones I can use. Just tried to skate in the new vans popcush yesterday and after fifteen minutes my feet hurt so bad I could barely walk. With the heat molded footprints I can skate for hours no problem. Did you do a standing heat mold or the one we’re you walk around?

I did a standing one first, then tried again the next day walking around.  Pretty much the same result.  I'm hoping maybe it's something that might get fixed the more I use them, seeing as i've never had arch support.  But they dont seem to mould to the shape of my foot at all.  What's the best way to do it?  I followed the directions of 8 minutes in a 110c oven

[Quique]

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Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

[close]

extremely hard disagree, I was seventy pounds over weight for fifteen years, so my arches have completely collapsed. Those insoles are the only ones I can use. Just tried to skate in the new vans popcush yesterday and after fifteen minutes my feet hurt so bad I could barely walk. With the heat molded footprints I can skate for hours no problem. Did you do a standing heat mold or the one we’re you walk around?

[close]

I did a standing one first, then tried again the next day walking around.  Pretty much the same result.  I'm hoping maybe it's something that might get fixed the more I use them, seeing as i've never had arch support.  But they dont seem to mould to the shape of my foot at all.  What's the best way to do it?  I followed the directions of 8 minutes in a 110c oven

Maybe you do have some arch support in your feet? If you do i wouldn't recommend the gamechangers. Try first the orthotics.

I prefer a shoe with a high arch over flat shoes with an orthopedic insole. I loved the p-rod 7s and the project BA for this. Now you have NB 420, nyjah free or adidas 3st.003 and some more that have good support.

[radcunt]

Yeah I think I need less support.  These are promoted for flat feet, but the arch is too big.

[texasplant]

I always had pretty flat feet, but now the arch on my left foot almost completely disappears when a I bear my weight on that side. Too many ankle injuries that I didn't let heal properly and now my foot compensates by flattening to give me more dorsiflexion on that side.

All I've really noticed is a bit of pain in the heel of my extra-flat foot after longer sessions, but nothing too drastic. I also can't skate in shoes with zero arch support like classic Vans or Chucks, which is no big deal. I'm 38 and want a bit more shock absorption anyway.

I've only recently come to the realisation that this is why my left foot/ankle/knee/hip has been so sore since my ankle injury just over 2 years ago that I never let heal properly. Big regret, but hopefully I can get some insight from this thread

[Banned from the room]

Game changers in my kicks were nice but the last pair didn't last 2 shoes.

If you can afford an extra 45 bucks every time Fp is the shit for fucked feet and knees

[fs1/2cab]

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I always had pretty flat feet, but now the arch on my left foot almost completely disappears when a I bear my weight on that side. Too many ankle injuries that I didn't let heal properly and now my foot compensates by flattening to give me more dorsiflexion on that side.

All I've really noticed is a bit of pain in the heel of my extra-flat foot after longer sessions, but nothing too drastic. I also can't skate in shoes with zero arch support like classic Vans or Chucks, which is no big deal. I'm 38 and want a bit more shock absorption anyway.

[close]

I've only recently come to the realisation that this is why my left foot/ankle/knee/hip has been so sore since my ankle injury just over 2 years ago that I never let heal properly. Big regret, but hopefully I can get some insight from this thread

I feel you mate, only it is my right ankle (Front foot), now I wear ankle braces and wear fp orthotics and try to stay healthy and do exercises. But maybe anyone on here has a few tips for fucked ankles/hips/knees.

[radcunt]

Yeah I’ve got a stiff and crunchy right ankle. Same diff, just didn’t fix it when I wrecked it about 20 years ago. Garbaggio.

[rocklobster]

Get on that ankle and knee strengthening program that Dr Kyle Brown (find him on IG) is pushing. Just a couple of workouts really helped me, not only in recovery but being more resilient to future injuries. There were a few time in the last month I landed a little funny on my left ankle that would have ended my session in the past.

After doing the strengthening exercises I was able to bounce back after a 10 minute break. Didn't feel 100% but definitely enough to keep the session going.

A friend of mind who skates regularly hits the gym to pump iron but neglected his ankles. He's sprained them 3 times in the last 6 months, only after this last one did he realize he needs to work on rehabbing them.

[DaleCooper]

Just ordered the FP custom insoles.
I have incredibly flat feet, to the extent that when walking barefoot my toes point outward. Also been dealing with patellar tendinitis, which I believe is only worsening due to my flat feet. I've been doing strengthening PT at home to try to squeeze as much more skating out of my body that I can before my body won't take anymore.

Will come back with results in some time. It can be quite depressing to fear pain from just landing something rather than the pain of bailing.

Glad to have found this thread. Thanks fellas.

[rocklobster]

https://www.superfeet.com/en-eu/copper

I've used the copper for my running shoes, would like to try a softer pair for my skate shoes. My feet are incredibly flat too (they create suction on the bathroom floor) but I'm still able to a lot of running thanks to the Superfeet insoles. Interested to hear your review when you finally get them.

[DaleCooper]

https://www.superfeet.com/en-eu/copper

I've used the copper for my running shoes, would like to try a softer pair for my skate shoes. My feet are incredibly flat too (they create suction on the bathroom floor) but I'm still able to a lot of running thanks to the Superfeet insoles. Interested to hear your review when you finally get them.

So far, I'm not sure I would recommend the FP ganechangers for flatfootedness. They don't seem to puff up and stay up to where my arch should be supported. My ankle/foot still overpronates considerably. Might try something more catered for "sports orthotic" rather than skate specific orthotic. Kinda seems like snake oil for a good percentage of customers; looking for a reason to spend money to "be better at skating" rather than a physical abnormality.

However, I will say that you get a shit ton of board feel and alot of impact relief in such a light product. Just so happens that my feet don't work right. lol

[rocklobster]

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https://www.superfeet.com/en-eu/copper

I've used the copper for my running shoes, would like to try a softer pair for my skate shoes. My feet are incredibly flat too (they create suction on the bathroom floor) but I'm still able to a lot of running thanks to the Superfeet insoles. Interested to hear your review when you finally get them.

[close]

So far, I'm not sure I would recommend the FP ganechangers for flatfootedness. They don't seem to puff up and stay up to where my arch should be supported. My ankle/foot still overpronates considerably. Might try something more catered for "sports orthotic" rather than skate specific orthotic. Kinda seems like snake oil for a good percentage of customers; looking for a reason to spend money to "be better at skating" rather than a physical abnormality.

However, I will say that you get a shit ton of board feel and alot of impact relief in such a light product. Just so happens that my feet don't work right. lol

Agreed, they're probably a good insole but don't look specifically designed for skateboarding nor for people with flat feet. Still trying to find an insole that provides enough arch support and cushioning though Aliexpress is bursting with listings.

[Armin_yarectom]

Made an account just to reply to this incase my story helps someone out, TLDR: flat feet combined with skateboarding caused a whole host of issues for which i went trough physiotherapy for about a year and a half before finding the solution in orthopedic insoles made by a podiatrican that solved the problem within weeks.

About 2 years ago i started noticing a tearing searing pain in my ankles when putting pressure on them on certain tricks. popping too high for a low ledge and taking that stress on my right ankle with a smith grind for example. I chalked it up to my ligaments being weak from rolling my ankles a bunch of times in the past and just took some weeks off each time these pains came on. eventually i took months of  and started phyisiotherapy. i saw a couple of therapists and they all concluded my tendons where inflamed and i should just let it rest and do some exercises. this kept on for about a year without any real progress before i started seeing a sports doctor who treats olympic judo champs and  a podiatrist who hooked me up to a bunch of sensors and analysed exactly how my body moves when walking and putting strain on my ankle.  she concluded that all of this was indeed due to flat feet. i was getting inflamed tendons becouse of the position of my ankle caused by the flat feet which locks parts of the joint. and my ligaments and tendons rub up against the bones and cause them to swell.( i can draw this out if anyone is really interested in how exactly) once they swell they start getting trapped in between the joints causing sharp pains and a whole host of issiues. she custom made me a set of insoles to match the shape of my feet and i havent had an issue since. i mean i have some pains here and there becouse 15 years of skate damage has been done. but at no point have i felt that i needed to take a break.

i seriously thought i might have to give up skateboarding before getting the insoles. the difference is so big its rediculous.
she also explained to me that if i kept skating without fixing the flat feet id eventually get back and knee issues as these joins are up the chain of the ankles and have to compensate for the ankles issues and instability.

I dont know what place youre in or how your healthcare works (im in the netherlands and healthcare is comparatively cheap here) but if you recognize these issues i was having it might be worth seeing a prof and getting proper insoles made specifically for your feet and your issues.

i also brought up the specific skate insoles to her and she warned me it might be a gimmik. she didnt seem convinced but then again they are competing against her product so you gotta take it with a pinch of salt.

anyway, maybe this can help someone.

[johnes]

Old bump but relevant, even thoUgh this OP is one of those suss posts that seems to be a shill team. So I thought I’d drop a real review. 

 I’ve got flat feet and I just bought game changers for my Nike GTs and did the whole moulding process. To be honest it seems like a huge crock of shit. They just feel like huge lumps under my arch leaving them feeling sore after about half hour. I feel like it’s see sawing my feet and my heels are tipping back.

The rest of the sole is fine, good cushioning but I was hoping these would help but they kinda suck.

I think as consumers we can’t expect every product to work for everyone. Summer bummer they don’t work for you.

[Static]

I was severely disappointed with Gamechangers , they just aren't rigid enough for people who over pronate. They probably are great for others but theyre not strong enough.

Flat feet/ Over pronaters need rigid othros/insoles that will keep your arch from collapsing under body weight and force.

[Skatebeard]

I've recently come back to skating after over a decade off, I've always had ridiculously flat feet but sort of lived with it.

Since skating again most days I was having quite a lot of joint pain in my knees so I thought I would give Gamechangers a go...they felt incredibly weird for the first week or so, like skating with big lumps under my arches, but after a couple of weeks my feet have adjusted to them and I would say they are definately providing me with some arch support I wasn't getting before.

They will never be as good as prescription orthotics, but if you have flat feet they'll be far better than stock skate shoe insoles... it definately takes a few weeks for your feet to adjust to them, now they feel normal to walk and skate in, and that lumpy feeling under my arches has disappeared... you have to perservere with them for sure and break your feet into them.

You do have to be a bit more choosy with shoes though, I've tried them in cupsoles and vulcs, and they work far better in the former...you also ideally want a mid shoe or something close to it, as they do lift your foot and ankle up inside the shoe a few more mm than a standard insole.