Q10: Can I go barefoot even if I have flat feet?

Yes. Some people have flat feet or very low arches due to genetics. Their feet are basically normal that way, and there’s no reason they can’t enjoy going barefoot.

But many people who have flat feet were never meant to be that way, as the condition was caused by wearing shoes all their lives, especially shoes with arch supports. Arch supports in shoes, rather than help the problem of flat or weak arches, as is sometimes asserted by podiatrists or others, in fact are the major cause of a strong arch not developing. The arch supports act as crutches, thus incapacitating the ligaments and tendons in the feet that act to form the arch and not allowing them to grow, get stronger, and function as they were intended.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of foot doctors, by pushing these arch supports and corrective shoes, are only doing what they’ve been taught in textbooks, and have no real experience or training in the advantages of a totally barefoot lifestyle or with patients who would prefer to go barefoot.

We have heard reports of many barefooters who, once they started going barefoot regularly, developed arches in their feet where they had little to none before. This certainly suggests that the human foot when left unfettered by shoes will indeed get stronger and develop a normal arch over time. So, even with completely flat feet or very low arches, going barefoot can indeed be an enjoyable and healthful experience and way of life.