High arches but flat feet!?

[NHBnutcracker]

If I stand barefoot in parallel, my feet roll in severly, and my ankles are all strangly placed. This lead my doctor to tell me I have flat feet. However, when I point my foot, or go en pointe, I have a very nice, high arch. I also go through pointe shoes relatively fast. So, my question is, is it possible to have flat feet and a high arch? I think I have a high arch but I just pronate, yet when I told my doc she said its flat feet.

[Victoria Leigh]

You may be confusing arches with insteps. If your feet are flat, that means there is no arch, however, it's possible that you still have a high instep. With this kind of foot, it's possible for it to look very good when pointed, however, if you do not correct the pronation, you will be in big trouble in lots of ways. Check your feet when you are standing correctly, with all five toes on the floor and the weight equally distributed. Does this pull the arch up somewhat? It should!

 

Pronation, or rolling, can cause damage to your feet and knees. It means you are not working with correct placement, and that means you can't use your rotation from the hips to control what happens in the lower leg and foot. Over time, with jumping and pointe work, this can be very dangerous.

[NHBnutcracker]

Ok, thank you for the clarification! I've been trying so hard not to pronate, but it feels so darn weird!

 

When I have all 5 toes on the floor, the arch is actually high. I'll just work on placement! Thanks!