
Are there 1,2 or 3 arches in the foot?
Lots of people are surprised to find out that there are 3 arches in the foot!
Two of these arches run lengthwise (longitudinal) from your heel and the third runs across the breadth of your foot (transverse).
Each of these arches is like a little arch of a bridge – let’s see what job they do and what happens if they collapse.
Medial Longitudinal Arch (MLA)
The MLA is the most known and visible arch of your foot and absorbs most of the shock when you walk or run. Chief Podiatrist Michelle Champlin describes it as looking a bot like a ‘cave’ running from the calcaneum (heel bone) forward through various bones of the middle of your foot (talus, navicular and cuneiforms) to the metatarsals of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd toes. You can see these bones in the picture below. Whilst the bones are like a jigsaw forming the arch, these bones are held in place by a number of muscles, tendons and ligaments. Underneath the talus bone is where this arch is the highest.
Although not a hard and fast rule, generally excessive pronation is associated with lowered MLAs, giving the appearance of ‘flat feet’ and very high MLA with the opposite, supination – too much weight through the outside of the foot and ankle.
Either of these biomechanical issues can cause foot and ankle pain, with over-pronation commonly in turn placing too much strain and inflammation on the plantar fascia (plantar fasciitis), shin splints, hallux valgus (bunions), inward rotation of the leg, thigh and hip and resultant inside knee pain, hip or lower back pain.
Supinators will exhibit a very high MLA, which forces too much weight to be placed forward onto the metatarsals – risking metatarsal stress fracture, bunions, clawed or hammer toes, outward rotation of the leg, thigh and hip with resultant outside knee pain, hip pain and risk of ankle injury.
Lateral Longitudinal Arch (LLA)
The ‘LLA’ is much flatter in comparison to the MLA – it is formed by less bones, although it still runs from the heel bone forward to the metatarsals – the 4th and 5th in this case – along the outside edge of your foot.
When you stand, all of your weight goes down through the talus bone in the middle of your foot and is spread almost evenly forwards to your metatarsals and backwards through your heel bone.
Issues that affect your lateral arch can involve the cuboid bone, which we have occasionally seen dislocated due to a sprain. We also see pain to the outside of the foot with peroneal tendonitis, notably in patients with high arched feet, or tight calf muscles.
Transverse Arch (TA)
This arch, running across the foot behind the metatarsals, provides flexibility and support to the foot. It is formed by the cuneiforms, cuboid and bases of the five metatarsals. The shape of these bones, particularly the ‘wedge’ shape of the cuneiforms, helps form the arch. This arch is flattened when weight bearing. The most common cause of excessive flattening of this arch is when the supporting ‘spring’ ligament of the bones becomes too lax, allowing the forefoot to splay out. This commonly occurs with over-pronation, when the sub-talar joint of the foot-ankle causing too much weight through the inside (medial) aspect of the foot. This can also cause the appearance of ‘flat feet’ with a lowering of the medial long arch.
When the forefoot splays, patients may report thick callous plaques and corns across their forefoot, particularly across the 2nd – 4th metatarsal heads, as the body tries to protect itself from too much weight onto these bones. There may also be pain to this forefoot area (metatarsalgia), higher risk of metatarsal stress fracture, bunions, bunionettes, Neuromas and Neuritis.
How Do You Know if any of Your Arches are Collapsed?Visually, most people will only notice a lowered MLA, as they will appear as a ‘flat foot.’ Issues with any of your three arches will generally first show up with foot pain, persistent corn or callous pattern to telltale areas of your foot (i.e. inside heel or across your forefoot), corns at the forefoot where the skin ‘pinches’ or even noticing your foot size has grown in length or width. You may also have noticed a bunion / bunionettes starting to form.
Other telltale signs can be recurrent corn and thick callous, foot pain, a burning sensation or change in the shape of your foot and these signs should not be ignored.
Your Podiatrist is the right professional to seek assessment and diagnosis. At Dubai Podiatry Centre, we will work to carry out a full biomechanical assessment to identify, amongst a range of foot issues, if any of your arches have collapsed. There are different causes of collapsed arches, from untoned foot muscles and lax ligaments, to hereditary causes or injury (such as a previous sprained ankle).
Treatment – Children & Adults
Treatments vary according to cause and type of collapsed arch, from simple padding in your footwear to custom corrective orthotics to gradually tighten and tone the muscles, ligaments and tendons and pull the foot back into shape, to in some cases referral for specialist orthopaedic surgical intervention combined with post-surgical orthotics / splinting. Collapsed arches can affect how well your foot functions, causing pain, risk of injury and less efficient walking/running.
Over-the-counter insoles do not correct your foot posture and it is vital that a qualified Podiatrist fully assesses and measures the precise degree of collapse and designs and makes a prescriptive orthotic for your feet only. Wearing the incorrect prescription of rigid or semi-rigid insoles can cause long term damage.
Chief Podiatrist Michelle Champlin says “We recommend children’s arches being checked as they start school (5 years old), as this is the perfect time to correct any foot arch problems. We run annual school health checks in most schools, just as you start to check children’s teeth in the same way.” Whether you’re concerned about your own or your child’s feet – contact the biomechanics podiatrists at Dubai Podiatry Centre on +971 4 3435390.



What is a bunion?
We’ve heard a lot about the damaging effects of high heels on your body – but are flip flops any better? It’s so easy to slip into flip flops – but how and when should we wear them? Chief Podiatrist Michelle Champlin explains the effects of flip flops on your feet and body.
Michelle Champlin leads the foot experts at Dubai Podiatry Centre and has been practicing as a podiatrist in Dubai for over 15 years. She has seen plenty of foot injuries and accidents related to flip flops over the years, as well as longer term chronic foot complaints that over use of flip flops have contributed to. It’s not all bad news – there is a time and a place for flip flops as well as styles of flip flops that improve wearability.
What kinds of problems can wearing flip flops cause?
Any shoe that is secured to your foot with straps, buckles or laces is preferable to a slip on style – whether ballet pumps or flip flops. The risk of ankle sprains/twists is higher with slip on styles. They also encourage you to ‘over-pronate’ – when your foot and ankle ‘rolls in’ as your foot works to keep the flip flop on. You most likely won’t be aware of this compensation while you walk.
Increased strain on the plantar fascia tendon, leading to a burning or stabbing sensation in your heel when you walk – plantar fasciitis. This is due to the lack of arch support in the flip flop – encouraging your medial long arch to collapse and too much strain on the plantar fascia that connects your forefoot to your heel bone. The lack of support can also contribute to splaying of your forefoot – collapsed transverse arch and formation of bunions and bunionettes and sometimes metatarsalgia.
Toes tend to claw or ‘scrunch up’ when your foot is mid-air to keep the flip flop on – again you won’t be aware your foot is doing this.
Friction from the flip flop thong can cause blisters or minute cuts between your toes, leading to entry points for fungal or bacterial infections such as athlete’s foot.
When wearing flip flops, you take shorter strides and roll your ankle inwards – leading to ankle, knee or hip pain as more weight is placed on the medial, or inside, of your foot and knee joints. Wearing thin soled, unsupportive flip flops for long periods of walking, such as when sight seeing, can lead to stress fractures of your metatarsals. “These ‘marching foot’ fractures used to be seen mainly in soldiers, but we are seeing more and more of these overuse injuries in people wearing flip flops for long periods of walking on hard surfaces,” explains Mrs Champlin.
Callous builds up much quicker, especially on your heels, when wearing open shoes such as sandals or flip flops, due to the exposure to the drying, moisture wicking atmosphere. Wearing socks within closed shoes also helps remove dead skin, which is why you may have noticed you’ve developed more hard skin when moving to Dubai from a colder climate such as in Europe, for example.
Tips for Choosing & Wearing Flop Flops
• Choose flip flops with thicker soles for better shock absorption. Flip flops (or any shoe) that fold in half will not provide much cushioning.
• Look for thick leather thongs on the flip flop that are less likely to chafe.
• Mrs Champlin recommends that you DO wear flip flops in areas where you are more prone to pick up viral (verrucas) or fungal (athlete’s foot) infections – moist or dark places such as changing rooms, poolside or on the dive boat.
• Limit flip flop wearing to shorter periods – such as to and from the beach. Avoid wearing them for longer periods of walking, such as around the mall.
• Never wear flip flops whilst running or playing sports – they provide no protection and raise the risk of sprain and injury.
• Replace your flip flops when you notice wear / tear or reduced cushioning. Normally every 3-4 months.
• Don’t forget sunscreen for your exposed feet! Mrs Champlin sees incidences of skin cancer on exposed areas of skin on the feet, an often forgotten area when applying sun screen and especially crucial in sunny climates such as the UAE.
If you are worried that you may have picked up a verruca, fungal infection, or are experiencing any kind of pain in your feet, contact the foot experts at Dubai Podiatry Centre on +971 4 3435390 for fast, friendly and expert help.
Written by Michelle Champlin BSc Pod., M.Ch.S., S.R., Ch., (UK)
Shin splints, despite the name, don’t necessarily affect the shin bone itself (or ‘tibia’). Shin splints is an ‘overuse’ injury to the shin area linked to exercise, particularly running. Along with knee issues, ankle sprains and bruised, damaged or lost toenails, it’s one of our most common running related issues we see in Dubai Podiatry Centre. Often, the pain is due to the muscle attaching to the tibia becoming inflamed. You may also hear shin splints being referred to as ‘medial tibial stress syndrome.’
What are shin splints?
Shin splints is a painful condition, most commonly felt at the front of your shin bone (tibia). Due either to the muscles at the insertion point into the shin becoming inflamed, or minor fractures to the shin bone itself.
Muscular shin splints
There are 2 types of muscular shin splints – anterior and posterior. Anterior shin splints affect the outside lower part of your leg. Posterior, the more common of the two, is muscular shin splints affect the lower inside leg. Continuing to exercise without seeking treatment can ultimately cause scar tissue to form.
Bone shin splints
This is actually much less common than muscular shin splints. It is caused by many tiny fractures of the surface of the tibia, resulting in the usual body response to bone fracture – pain and localised swelling. It can ultimately be more serious than muscular shin splints, as if left untreated, can ultimately lead to a more serious fracture of the tibia.
Causes
One or more of the factors below may cause shin splints. These include:
• Sudden increase in weight bearing activity (e.g. running)
• Calcium deficiency
• Previous leg injury or sprain
• Biomechanical issue (such as over-pronation)
• Incorrect running shoes
• Hard running surface / hill running
Treatment
For either bone or muscular shin splints, stop activity immediately and rest, advises Dubai Podiatry Centre’s Chief Podiatrist Michelle Champlin. Because athletes (most commonly runners) are frequently affected, we understand that this can be very difficult advice to stick to. But healing cannot take place if the area is subjected to repeat stress / strain. So avoid any activity that causes your shins to hurt. Try other forms of exercising that aren’t weight bearing such as the elliptical trainer in the gym or swimming. Follow RICE guidelines:
Rest: stop activity that causes shin pain
Ice: apply cool packs 3-5 times daily for 15-20 minutes
Compression – support the site with an elasticated support bandage
Elevation – keep your feet up to aid circulation and reduce swelling
See your Podiatrist as soon as possible. S(he) can assess and diagnose whether your pain is due to muscular or bone shin splints and advise a program of healing at home including RICE and specific strengthening and stretching exercises to rehabilitate. Bring your usual running shoes with you too for examination and recommendation for any footwear switch required, as incorrect footwear can contribute to shin splints. At Dubai Podiatry Centre, we carry out detailed lower limb biomechanics assessments – read here about what they involve and what to bring with you.
Prevention
Furthermore, the shin splints are frequently a warning sign of a lower limb biomechanical anomaly. Once you have recovered from the initial bout of shin splints, it is important that any anomaly is addressed and corrected, as otherwise the shin splints will likely recur and put you out of action again.
The Podiatrist may recommend a range of solutions including:
• Custom corrective orthotics to address any biomechanical issue (we make orthotics tailored for individual sports, including running)
• Running shoe recommendations (including frequent renewal)
• Gradual, tapered approach to building up exercise activity
• Strengthening / stretching exercise regime for the legs
The outlook is good for shin splint sufferers, whether you’re training for Wadi Bih, the Dubai Marathon or getting back into jogging. At Dubai Podiatry Centre, we understand that runners are keen to get back to running as soon as possible – we specialize in proactive, targeted therapy to get you back running, pain free, in record time.
Call the sports biomechanics podiatrists at Dubai Podiatry Centre on +971 4 3435390.