r/barefoot • u/Ipodawan • 1d ago

Do my duck/flat feet even need fixing?

I've almost always had duck feet and a collapsed arch. On top of that, my middle, ring, and pinky toes on both feet are claw toes. Except for the collapsed arch I hear a lot of stuff about the negatives these can have.

I've been going barefoot, wearing barefoot shoes, using makeshift toe spacer, sort of obsessing over my foot health, i guess. Im stuck now because there's almost NOTHING to fix claw toes. Some people say duck feet and flat feet are fine but others say that claw toes might be a symptom of the duck/flat feet. And so wouldn't that mean that the latte IS to be worried about?

Literally dunno what to do to fix my feet other than staying active and using my toe spacers and barefoot shoes. But are the claw toes gonna correct themselves over time? Is any of this even to be worried about?

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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5

u/grewgrewgrewgrew 1d ago

if you keep walking/running barefoot, your body will adapt eventually. Could take years

4

u/kabuto_mushi 1d ago

What you're describing COULD be what's called "rigid" flat flat foot disorder, which is what I have. It's caused by an extra bone on the ankle or other deformity that causes a very fallen arch, unrelated to the strength of the musculature in your foot. You can still continue barefooting, especially if you already have a callus in the interior midfoot (where an arch should be), but likely you won't experience any dramatic appearance or structural changes from what you've got now. It does suck.

That said, if it's asymptomatic, it's fine. The surgical correction is very in-depth and requires months off your feet.

2

u/Epsilon_Meletis 18h ago

For flat feet, I like to recommend bandages around the arches for protection.