Flat Feet: Collapsed Arches Sabotage The Whole Body. Here’s how to fix it.

Picture your body like a suspension bridge. The arches of your feet are the main cables—when they’re strong and springy, the whole structure (your body) is stable, resilient, and able to handle load and movement efficiently. But when those cables (your arches) collapse, the bridge sags. The supports (ankle, knee, hip) start to buckle and strain, and the entire system becomes unstable. This is exactly what happens up your kinetic chain when your feet lose their spring—compensation, overuse, and a higher risk of breakdown at every level above._

something that gets dismissed way too often: flat feet. Most people think it’s just a cosmetic thing or maybe a minor inconvenience. But as someone who’s spent years studying movement, fascia, and performance, I can tell you—that healthy arches with proper fascial tension are the secret to peak athleticism.

The Foot: the secret to athleticism

When your arches collapse, the small stabilizing muscles in your foot (think: abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis) get stretched out and lazy. They lose their spring, and your plantar fascia—basically your foot’s shock absorber—gets overworked and starts to slack. The ligaments that should hold your arch up? They’re on permanent overtime, and eventually, they give up.

Ankle: Where The Domino Effect Begins

The ankle’s a hinge, but with flat feet, it starts acting like a loose door. The posterior tibialis (your main arch supporter) checks out, while the peroneals (outside of your leg) try to take over, usually by getting tight and grumpy. Ligaments on the inside of your ankle get stretched; the outside gets compressed. This is how instability and chronic sprains are born.

Calf: Power Without a Platform

Your calves (gastrocnemius and soleus) are built to launch you forward with every step. But if your foot’s collapsed, they’re working overtime for half the reward. The Achilles tendon takes a beating, and the whole back line—think plantar fascia, calves, hamstrings—loses that beautiful, springy tension that makes movement efficient and pain-free.

Knee: Collapsing the Middle Ground

Flat feet almost always mean your knee collapses inward (valgus), which overworks the medial stabilizers like the vastus medialis. The MCL gets stretched, the lateral side gets compressed, and you’re left with a knee that’s begging for trouble—patellofemoral pain, meniscus wear, or worse.

Hip: The Top of the Chain Pays the Price

The hip is the powerhouse, but with flat feet, the glutes and external rotators get shut down, while the adductors and internal rotators take over. The result? Pelvic drop, lumbar sway, and a loss of core stability. The deep front line—running from your arch, through your adductors, up to your diaphragm—loses its integrity, and your whole movement system gets compromised.

Why This Matters (Beyond the Foot)

Flat feet aren’t just a local problem. They’re a full-body systems issue that impacts everything from your gait to your posture, and even your breathing. Ignore them, and you’re setting yourself up for a cascade of compensations: shin splints, knee pain, hip tightness, low back discomfort, and chronic fatigue.

What’s the Fix?

I’ll tell you what it isn’t—orthotics and inserts. Sure, they can prop your foot into a better position and might even make things feel good for a bit. But here’s the truth: they’re a passive Band-Aid. They don’t actually teach your body how to transmit force through the fascia, or restore the natural spring and resilience your arches are designed to provide. So, while your foot might look better standing still, you haven’t addressed the root cause. Quick fixes lead to quick failures—because the real issue is never solved.

The real fix is about giving your body back its spring-loaded foundation. That means rebuilding foot strength, restoring your fascia’s ability to transmit and absorb force, and teaching your nervous system how to move efficiently again. It’s about integrating movement from the ground up—literally. We need targeted mobility work, myofascial release, and functional training that honors your body’s natural tensegrity system. When you build strength and coordination from the foot upward, you’re not just fixing a local problem—you’re creating a ripple effect of better movement, less pain, and more power throughout your entire body.

Take Action

If you’ve been dealing with pain, poor performance, or just feel like you’re not moving as well as you should, don’t ignore your foundation. Your feet are your first connection to the ground, your foundation—and if you have a bad foundation everything built on that foundation will be faulty.

You can message me on social media and I’ll send you my flat feet fix that has helped so many of my patients, absolutely free!

author notes:

John is a multi-sport performance coach, author, and has a longevity and performance center specializing in correcting posture and improving biomechanics. He believes human performance, longevity, and holistic wellness are all cogs to the same clock. For more information or resources, visit www.migolfhealth.com.