What Is A High Arch And How To Support It?
Updated: Oct 5
The foot is an important part of your body. It bears all your body weight and helps you walk with ease. A slight problem with your foot can cause you serious trouble in walking and standing. Foot problems are a common aspect and almost 40% of adults experience some kind of foot problem in their life.
One of the common foot problems is the high arch. People with high arch experience pain in their feet and often find it difficult to get the right shoes. Customized Insole for high arch is often the most used method for comforting high arch feet.
If you are wondering what is high arch and how you can go around it, here is all you might want to know.
What Is High Arch?
A high arch, also known as a cavus foot, is a condition in which the arch in your foot is higher than usual. Arch is the area between your toes and heel. Although the condition is not dangerous, people with high arch often feel discomfort and it can lead to permanent skeleton issues.
What Are The Symptoms?
Symptoms of high arch vary from person to person. Some common symptoms are:
Pain in the foot while walking, running, standing, exercising, or playing sports.
Difficulty in finding the shoes that perfectly fit.
Corn or callus in your feet
Decrease in foot length
Heels feel inward
Toes bent in a claw-like position while standing to give stability
If you feel these symptoms, you should consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
How It Is Diagnosed?
Your doctor may recommend X-ray, MRI, Electromyography, and nerve conduction study to diagnose and identify the severity of the high arch in your foot. A genetic test is also often suggested to identify if the condition can be transferred to your child.
Other than these, you can also run a diagnosis at home to identify high arch. All you need to do is wet your feet and immediately place them on cardboard, paper, or any surface that can provide you with your footprint. If you notice mainly toes and heels on your footprint, you are likely to be suffering from high arch. However, always consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
What are the Causes?
A high arch is sometimes diagnosed at the time of birth and one reason for it can be genetics. Other than that, some underlying conditions can also cause high arch. Such conditions are:
Polio
Cerebral palsy
Spina bifida
Muscular dystrophy
Spinal tumors
Stroke
Charcote Marie Tooth Disease (CMT)
What Problems Are Associated with High Arch?
Apart from pain and discomfort in mobility, the high arch can lead to other problems as well. Some of them are:
1. Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a condition in which the ligament that connects your heel and toes suffers inflammation. People often feel sharp and stabbing pain which worsens after long periods of standing and sitting. People often use a customized insole for plantar fasciitis for relieving pain and discomfort.
2. Metatarsalgia
Metatarsalgia is the pain at the ball of your foot and is often a common problem with people experiencing high arch. The condition usually improves after fitted with a customized insole.
3. Claw Toes
As the name suggests, claw toe is a condition in which 4 small toes of your feet are bent in a claw-like position. This causes discomfort, pain, and tightening of shoes.
4. Hammer Toe
The Hammer toe usually affects the three smaller toes. It is a foot deformity that causes toes to bend from the joint making a hammer or z-shaped position. Surgery is usually needed to treat the condition.
Insoles For High Arch
Customized Insoles are the best treatment option for a high arch. It provides support to your foot by taking away pressure from heels and toes by evenly distributing the body weight. The cushion in the insole will help you in walking, standing, and running.
However, over-the-counter insoles are not suitable for high arch as they are pre-designed and are not according to your foot. They are good insoles for normal arch only. For the high arch, you should buy insoles that perfectly fit your arch.
Where To Get Insoles for High Arch From?
If you are in Singapore, Lifeforce Limbs & Rehab Pte Ltd is your go-to option for buying insoles. We offer customized foot insoles that will be made according to the height of your arch and will perfectly fit in your shoes providing you ultimate comfort and support to perform daily tasks without any discomfort and pain.
We hope our blog will help clear your doubts. If you need any more information and guidance, feel free to contact us. We are here to help you.
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