Firefighter Flat Feet
Having flat feet can slow you down, cause pain and even cause injury. Your feet are your base of everything you do. When the feet are jacked up, it can cause muscular imbalances in other parts of the body. Think of it like a chain reaction, when the foot has a natural arch, the knee and hip are aligned as well. So when your arches fail, your body mechanics will make up for it somewhere else – For example, pain in your knees and lower back.
As a firefighter our body mechanics need to be like a well oiled machine. When your alignment is off, it causes more torque in certain areas and could even break under too much stress. Fix your flat feet!
So what is flat feet?
Flat feet is when the arches on the inside of your foot is flattened allowing the entire sole on your foot to touch the floor while standing. It can be caused by a number of reasons. For example, it could be an abnormality from birth, you could have had stretched or torn tendons, broken bones or even just wear and tear from getting older.
Can it be fixed?
Yes! There are certain exercises that can help fix your fallen arches. Here is a great video by ATHLEAN-X showing some easy exercises to help avoid and even fix this overlooked problem.
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Be Safe!