Lacrosse Cleats for flat feet or why do i get pain in my achiles(sp) from cleats!

Lacrosse Cleats for flat feet or why do i get pain in my achiles(sp) from cleats?

i have extremely flat feet it is hereditary (sp)
so i also play lacrosse and i have to wear tennis shoes because when i wear cleats i develop this sharp pain in my achiles (sp) and heel area that makes it difficult to continue sprinting
i am curious to know if this pain is common in people with flat feet and if there is a cleat i can get to help me or if the pain is from something else
i do not have a collapsed arch and arch support is like having a big rock in my shoe because where i should have an arch i have an enlarged or an extra bone
i know im in a waird situation so i hope someone can help

From what you say it sounds like you have an accessory navicular bone in your foot (or is it both feet?), which is a congenital condition where the tendon that normally attaches to one bone to create the "spring" in you arch attaches instead to the wrong (extra) bone, leaving you with no arch from birth. I hear you saying that you have never had an arch, that your flatfoot condition didn't develop later, like mine did, when I was a young teen.

It could be, with your own unique condition (many others have an accessory navicular, but we're all unique) that you might even have something else going on in your foot, like a tarsal coalition, where bones (usually around your heel) start to fuse together. A tarsal coalition usually starts to be real painful in the early teen years, because bones are fusing together which are supposed to remain distinct and it starts to limit your range of motion. That could be some of your heel pain there.

A tarsal coalition can result in what's known as a rigid flatfoot. Most flatfooters, including me, have what's known as a flexible flatfoot. In my case, my arch looks normal until I stand and my so-called arch collapses flat onto the ground. Do you know if you have a rigid flatfoot? That would be where even at rest, your foot has no arch, just a flat sole. While seated, cross your leg so your foot is on top of the other knee and look at your sole--is it pretty much totally flat? When you pull your toes back or stand on tip toe, is there any sign of an arch? If not, you could have a rigid flatfoot, which can be very painful. One of my friends had this kind of a flatfoot, and he could not stand to have ANY arch support inside his shoe--he was always looking for shoes, sandals, etc. that had just a totally flat innersole, to match the mirror image of his sole. If that sounds like you, you'll want to consider stripping out any innersole that comes with your tennis shoes, and replace it with a flat gel innersole for some relief. When you describe the feeling of a rock inside your shoe when there's any arch support, that's exactly how he used to describe it. By the way, Doc Martens were invented for this kind of flatfoot--look inside and you'll see there's no arch at all--plus, the cushy air trapped inside the soles was designed to partially take the place of the missing spring in the wearer's non-existent arch, so you might give those a try for general daily wear.

What does your wet footprint look like? The flatter your foot, the more it makes contact with the ground. In the most extreme case, the footprint actually bulges out where the arch is supposed to be. A foot this flat, even if it's a flexible flatfoot, can be quite painful.

Have you been to a doctor recently? It sounds like you have been at one point, if you already know about your accessory navicular. The short answer to your question is no, it's not normal for flatfooters to have the amount of pain you're having. You should visit a podiatrist, a foot doctor who specializes in the care of feet, so you can get expert medical attention. If you're still growing, it's particularly important to do this, because if you ignore it you could really be hobbling around soon. You're probably already stressing your feet to the max as it is with the demands of lacrosse. You would probably also benefit, after you've seen a podiatrist, from going to a serious athletic shoe store where they will thoughtfully analyze your feet, your gait, look at your shoe wear patterns, etc. and recommend the best shoe for you. If they don't give you this amount of attention, find a store that does. I don't know what kind of cleats you've been wearing (?) but they must not be giving you the kind of support you need. (There are different kinds of support besides arch support, like motion control, for instance, and other aspects of shoe design.) If your cleats hurt, don't wear them! Sport shoes are designed for a specific purpose which may not be good for your foot type. You've already got enough problems without adding to them, and it sounds like maybe your feet don't have the same amount of give and take that a normal foot (even a normal flat foot) has.

Your podiatrist should be able to help you choose a cleat that's right for you, and you'll be able to find a lot of forums on the web where guys discuss the same problem you're having finding the right shoe for your particular flatfoot type, whatever it is. Spell out what your condition is and ask for advice. Use these forums as another starting point for finding the shoe/cleat that's right for you.

Most of us flatfooters don't have an accessory navicular, a tarsal coalition or rigid flatfoot, and many of us have extremely flat feet without having much pain or any at all. It's just the luck of the draw. Sorry you got the short end of the stick. You're right, it is usually hereditary. Next time, choose your parents more carefully!

Something which is much more common for flatfooters is the painful condition known as plantar fasciitis (PF), where the tendon/muscle sheath that runs the length of your sole and attaches to the front of the heel gets inflamed from the constant pressure of your foot being so flat and stretching it too much. I'm running out of time to discuss this, but you'll find lots of information on the web. Take your thumb and press into the front of your heel in the center--is it sore? That's probably PF.

Having a flat foot can also result in heel spurs. My podiatrist showed me in an x-ray where my flatfoot condition had caused my plantar fascia to tug on my heel bone, resulting in heel spurs. Ouch.

One other condition which you may have is a short achilles tendon--many guys who have this also have a flatfoot, I don't remember why, but they can go together. One idea that occurs to me is to look at your cleat and compare it to your tennis shoe: does the tennis shoe have a higher heel? If your cleat has a low heel, it could be pulling on your short achilles tendon, if that's a problem for you.

A podiatrist will be able to diagnose any and all of these issues, and will be able to give you suggestions, which may include surgery, to improve your quality of life. Before you have surgery though, you should always do everything you can to conservatively treat your flatfoot condition, and then if you want to go the surgery route, be sure to get a second or even third opinion. Again, you'll find forums for people who have had or are considering flatfoot surgery. Learn all you can about your condition and it will pay off. Ignore it and you'll end up with back pain, bad knees and even more painful feet. I don't mean to scare you, but if you're in your teen years, your foot pain could get worse. Please, take steps to take care of yourself.

I hope you'll email me privately because I'd like to help you with this problem and also another problem I see you've got.

I really feel for you. Sorry things are so rough for you right now.

By the way, you might be wishing you had a nice pair of high arches--I know I used to, when I'd see friends of mine with the "perfect" high arch, until I learned that high arches can be painful too, because they are poor shock absorbers. In fact, a high arched foot is much more likely than the average flat foot to get stress fractures. :-)

Please write, and good luck!