High Arches Care and Treatment

What You Need To Know

Understanding high arches, why they cause pain, and how a podiatrist can help.

Understanding High Arches (Cavus Foot)

High arches, also called cavus foot, are a painful condition that can lead to structural problems in the body. High arches usually manifest in the teenage years. The arch of the foot is an area along the bottom between the ball and the heel, providing a base for posture and balancing weight and bone structure.

High arched feet, as the name implies, is a disorder caused by an abnormally high arch. This causes excess weight to be placed on the ball and heel of the foot, which can cause pain and other complications. The arches help support the body and maintain balance when standing, walking, running, jumping, and pivoting.

Common symptoms include pain when walking, standing, exercising, or playing sports; shoes that do not fit well; a shortened foot length; claw-like or bent toes; a heel that tilts inward causing loss of balance; and calluses on the ball, side, or heel of the foot.

High arches could be genetic and may run in families. They can also be caused by neurologic disorders or other medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, spina bifida, and polio. The underlying cause has to be diagnosed to form an optimum treatment plan.

High arches may not need intervention unless they cause pain, inflammation, or affect movement. If you have symptoms that affect your quality of life, it is best to see a podiatrist for evaluation.

Problems Caused by High Arches

High arches, if they are severe, can cause a number of painful foot conditions because they affect posture and gait. Recognizing these secondary problems early can help patients get treatment before the discomfort begins to limit daily activity.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common complications. Overuse or trauma to the plantar fascia, the band of ligament that connects the heel to the toes, can cause pain and inflammation. It is usually felt along the heel but can affect the bottom of the entire foot or the arch.

Metatarsalgia is a painful inflammation of the ball of the foot which is triggered when standing or walking and subsides when at rest. The pain can worsen over time and may cause a limp and compensation pain in other parts of the body, such as the lower back and hips.

High arches can also lead to toe deformities. Claw toes take on a claw-like position and dig down into the soles of the shoes, often affecting the four smaller toes and creating painful calluses on the balls of the foot and top of the toes. Hammer toe affects the second, third, or fourth toes, where the toe bends at the middle joint and, in time, can become rigid and require surgery.

Foot and ankle instability is another concern. In people with high arches, one or both heels tilt toward the middle of the body, increasing the risk of ankle sprains. Because these complications tend to build on one another, patients with high arches benefit from a podiatric evaluation to protect long-term foot health and mobility.