If you are an athlete, you know the importance of taking care of your body. If you are an athlete and are experiencing pain in your body, you may be surprised to hear that the pain could be caused by having flat or misaligned feet. Whether you’re training for the Olympics, or just play a sport to be occasionally active, these activities are harder on your body when you have flat feet and can cause long term issues and damage. If you want to maximize your enjoyment of sports, and take care of your body for the long term, then the first step is to identify pain that is caused by flat feet. Here are a few common pain areas that occur in people with flat feet:

Knee Pain

Chronic knee pain is a continual pain in the knee that doesn’t go away. It can show up when bending or straightening the knee and could be accompanied by swelling. Runner’s Knee can be caused by having flat feet or over pronation and shows up with pain behind the knee cap, and sometimes causes a popping noise in the knee. This condition is more common in runners, but can even be caused by walking.

Hip Pain

Hip pain can also be caused by flat feet. When the feet are misaligned, your hips can be affected over time. Hip pain can show up on the inside or outside of the hip joint, and even in the thigh, groin, and buttocks. If left unchecked, severe cases can require hip replacement down the road. If not treated, hip pain can definitely hinder your active lifestyle.

Chronic Back Pain

If you have pain in your back that just won’t go away, it could be caused by having flat or misaligned feet. While this could happen whether you are active or not, it is especially important to consider what is causing your back pain when you are actively involved in sports or physical activities.

Heel Pain/Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It is particularly common in runners, and occurs when the Plantar Fascia (a thick band of tissue) becomes painful and inflamed. This can obviously affect your athletic activity, and even worse – it can affect the rest of your life as well. Pain from Plantar Fasciitis often shows up when standing for a long time or going from sitting to standing.

These are just a few of the ways that flat feet can kill your game. Whether you are a full time athlete, or just being active for fun or health, it is important to recognize these symptoms and discover their underlying causes. You should talk to a foot doctor to get a more in depth diagnosis if you have flat foot pain and are experiencing symptoms.