Are flat feet a problem when you exercise?

Short answer

Mostly, no. Among 927 people who ran for a year, flat feet did not get injured more, and in 12 weeks of training the flattest feet had the fewest injuries. The only link found was with pain along the inner shin, and even that difference was small.

Are flat feet a problem when you exercise?
'Flat feet → less shock absorption → more injuries' — does this formula hold?
A common belief: flat feet, with a low arch, can't absorb shock well, so running or training gets you hurt more easily. We checked whether people with flat feet really get injured more, and if so, where.
Do flat feet get injured more?
927 people ran for a year — flat feet weren't hurt more
927 people who had just started running (1,854 feet) were followed for 1 year, all in the same neutral running shoe. Up to 250 km of running, flatter feet that roll inward were not injured more than normal feet, and they actually had 0.37 fewer injuries per 1,000 km.
High arches got hurt more
The flattest 20% had the fewest injuries
246 people going through 12 weeks of tough training were grouped by arch height. The flattest 20% had the fewest injuries. The middle 60% had 3.0 times the injury risk, and the highest-arched 20% had 6.1 times. In 230 people on a 10-week training course, foot shape was not linked to injury.
So do flat feet not matter at all?
The one link was pain along the inner shin
An analysis pooled 21 studies that followed 6,228 people forward in time. Flatter feet were linked to shin splints (pain along the inner shin), but the difference was small. There was no link with foot or ankle injuries, stress fractures, or overuse leg injuries overall. A 2024 analysis also found a link only for shin splints.
What if you combine flat feet and high arches?
12 injured out of 100 instead of 10
An analysis pooling 29 studies found that feet that weren't 'normal' — flat or high-arched — had 1.23 times the risk of leg injury. If 10 out of 100 people with normal feet get hurt, that's about 12. Looking at children with flat feet alone, there was no link.
Can exercise change your arch?
Only after more than 6 weeks did it sag less
A 2024 analysis pooled studies of the 'short foot' exercise, which lifts the arch with the small muscles inside the foot. Overall, arch measures did not differ from people who didn't do it. Only when done for more than 6 weeks did the arch sag less when standing.
Bottom line: flat feet were no reason to avoid exercise
The injury difference was small and limited to shin pain
People with flat feet were not injured more in running or training, and the flattest feet actually had fewer injuries. The only link was pain along the inner shin, and it was small. The research gave no reason to avoid exercise just because of flat feet.