The worst fears for anybody who wishes to take up Irish dancing is flat feet. I know this through personal experience. There is more than one word to describe this including Physiologic Flat Feet, Collapsed Arches, Fallen Arches, Hypermobile Arches, Pronation of the Foot and the medical term Pes Planus. Believe it or not this foot condition affects many dancers, while there are things you can do to change the arch and eliminate the symptoms, sometimes one may have to pursue another dancing style or technique. This article will go over some of the causes of the flat foot, prevention measures to stop lowering arches and treatment of flat feet.
This is a condition that some are born with; some studies indicate that the process of flat feet starts before birth. Though sometimes arches in the feet can start to drop, finally leading to flat feet. The many factors that can lead into fallen arches like, injury, illness, even age. Things like obesity and pregnancy can had extra stress to the foot and result in fallen arches. Constantly being are hard floor surfaces and ill-fitted footwear are also causes.
This condition is very common, but for the Irish dancer it can be a nightmare. And if your flat feet cause pain, then it's even worse. It can cause pain in the inner heel, arch, ankle, knee and even the lower back. Flat feet can also lead to plantar fasciitis, which effects the plantar fascia, the thick connective tissue which works to support the arch. There are some measures you could take to alleviate any pain associated with Pes Planus, such as a light message, over the counter anti-inflammatory, ice packs or stretching.
Unfortunately you cannot change a flat foot and if arches are lowering the most you can do is to prevent them from completely collapsing. Yet there is hope in that there are treatments and exercises you can do to help strengthen your feet. One good and common exercise for Irish dancers who have to deal with a flat arch is the use of a tennis ball; the dancer curls their toes around a tennis ball several times a day working the foot muscles.