Arch Support: The Secret to Painless Running, Playing or Walking

CEBU, Philippines - If your feet, knees or back aches even after a slight physical activity, chances are you don’t have proper arch support.

Sports, casual and dress shoes don’t offer much. Even the branded and expensive running shoes don’t have them. If you don’t believe me, try this: pull out the insoles of your shoes and examine it. At most, you’ll be lucky to have half an inch of arch support.

Researchers found out that almost 90 percent of the population are suffering from some kind of foot problems, most of which are caused by using improper footwear.

If you can’t balance your weight – and it doesn’t matter whether you’re skinny or obese – the rest of your body is not aligned. Arch support corrects this problem by relieving pressure from the feet.

Arch supports are special insoles, made of acrylic or cork that reinforces the feet. The kind of arch support a person is fitted depends on the foot type. There are three generally accepted foot types – normal, high arch and flat.

My foot type is normal. This means that when I walk or run, my foot lands on the heel then rolls forward. What I need is a pair of shoes that offers cushion and motion control.

I enjoyed my pair of running shoes and ran my first 10K and 21K (half marathon) races with it. However, after finishing the half marathon, I experienced pain in my knees and lower back.

I tried to think of what I did wrong but I couldn’t think of anything. I trained hard for the contest; had ample warm-up and ran my race. I remember though that my feet and knees would hurt after my long runs when I was preparing for the race.

As I was preparing for the Cebu Marathon, it occurred to me that I might be wearing the wrong shoes. So I went to a sports store to find out my foot type. The kind sales clerk helped me to a glass stepper and after a cursory look at my foot told me, I have high arch!

I told myself that I was right all along – I’m wearing the wrong shoes. I started to browse the net for a pair of running shoes for my high arch. To be completely satisfied, I did an old-fashioned trick. I took a piece of Manila paper and laid it on the floor. Then I dipped my foot on a basin and stepped on the paper. Lo and behold, my footprint looked like I have a normal arch!

I talked to Raffy Uytiepo about it and he told to me to visit Arnold Balais at Orthopaedie Frey Far East, Inc. at Centro Maximo Building along Jakosalem Street.

Balais is a Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC) awardee, a former para-athlete who won for the country a number of gold medals in swimming.

I asked Arnold, the technician at Orthopaedie, if he could help me find my correct foot type. He let me step on what I thought was carbon paper. A few minutes later, he told me that I have normal foot type.

I told him my story that I’m preparing to run in the Cebu Marathon in January 2010 and that my knees and back hurt after every long run. He explained to me that I might not have ample arch support.

I asked Dr. Peter Renald T. Ramiro, dean of the Rehabilitative Sciences at Cebu Doctors University about arch support. This he told me, “An arch support is made to serve its purpose...to prevent and alleviate any foot pain located over the heel area and the metatarsal heads (base of the toes or the balls of the feet).”

Back to Balais.

After determining my foot type, Balais took some measurements to customize my pair of arch support. A few days after, I came back to fit the insoles he handcrafted for me but felt uncomfortable.

Balais told me it’s normal because I have been walking or running without arch support. He told me to use it for a few days.

After three days, I ran with it. I took every stride with caution. After completing five kilometers, I felt I could run more but I didn’t push it. Still I was skeptical. I waited for my feet or knees to react. There was no pain!

Last Saturday, I did my usual long run. After 10 kilometers, I took my usual water break. Surprisingly, the run was painless.

Balais said that athletes oftentimes don’t react to situations quick enough. He said they would ignore the pain. “Don’t wait for the pain or injury to happen before starting to use arch support. The earlier the better,” Balais advised.

Arch support is not new and is available in Cebu. Balais said all PBA teams have fitted their players with at least two pairs. Here in Cebu, most of the high school varsity players of the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHS-J) are using arch support.

Among the commercial players, Steven Padilla, Bruce Dacia and Mark Magsumbol of the M. Lhuillier team are wearing arch support.

Magsumbol said the arch support helps basketball players avoid injury. “It helped me from incurring injury. If you happen to have (foot) injury, when you wear it, it takes the pain away,” he said.

In CESAFI, Junmar Fajardo and other stars of the University of Cebu varsity team have been wearing arch support.

Jess Taborada, president of the Cebu Executive Runners Club, who completed two marathons (Hong Kong and Singapore) already and will be participating in the Quezon City International Marathon is one of the first runners to wear arch support. “Yes, it does help…it’s better than using nothing,” he texted me.

Other runners like Atan Guardo, who completed the Hong Kong Marathon early this year and will be running in the Quezon City International Marathon, is wearing an arch support, so does his brothers Jeson, Jerry and Genito.

Joel Garganera, who like Guardo finished the Hong Kong Marathon and will run in the Quezon City marathon, has a pair as well.

Balais also said he would be sending a pair of arch support to Manny Pacquaio. No, Pacquiao will not use them when he fights Cotto next month. He will use them when running or playing basketball.

I think I found the secret to painless running, playing or just plain walking – it’s arch support.