Flat Feet and Injury

People with flat feet may be more prone to having an exercise-related injury such as stress fracture than those with moderately arched feet.

Researchers at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, Calif., and the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina studied 449 Navy SEALS and found that those with low arches were more likely to develop stress fractures, which are small cracks in bones.

And those with tight calf muscles were also more likely to develop Achilles tendonitis, an inflammation of the tendon of the foot that connects the calf muscles to the heel of the foot.

Experts suggest that regular flexibility training is effective for reducing the incidence of these injuries.