Debbie Mihal’s Blog

I recently was asked about giving someone with flat feet arches. The thing is, Structural Integration really is a journey with your body; I can’t predict or promise the little miracles that happen along your way to length and ease in gravity. However, they do happen.

As for my flat feet, SI gave me arches. I never had a severe flat foot, but enough that when I was a 4 year old, I had have these orthodics put into my shoes that they called cookies. Of course, I had to open the shoe to see whether it was a chocolate chip or Oreo and was very disappointed to find out that the “cookie” was just a bunch of stuffing. My mom was just plain mad.

Anyway, I went through life with almost completely flat feet. I would look at my footprint around the pool and be disappointed that there was no graceful curve to it, embarrassed that it looked “fat.”  Then, about the time I turned 30, I went through two ten series, and since then, I’ve had arches in my feet. I still am shocked seeing the impression my foot makes when I get out of the pool.

My foot hardly ever cramps up any more, and I no longer wear orthodics. I can also finally hike without pain as well as walk on narrow paths on the side of a cliff without any terror as to whether I’ll fall. Before, I wouldn’t hike those trails out of my fears that I now see were related to my poor balance, which improved greatly. How much that has to do with my arches or whether it is more related to my freed sacrum is beyond me. All I know is, I’m happy that I have options I didn’t feel I had before.

That said, I wouldn’t promise anyone that I could give them arches. I definitely believe it could happen, but I wouldn’t say that there is a formula to make it happen. SI is a journey that unwinds the body to work better in gravity. That means something different for everyone. For me, it meant a straighter spine (I “grew” an inch), a sacrum that wasn’t frozen into stillness, and arches in my feet, among some other things. For others, it can mean feeling they are in their bodies for the first time, or are able to dance, or they can embrace a sense of power, beauty, strength  . . . the doors are open.

I say check out a session or two with someone you like if you’re curious about getting arches in your feet. If you like the work, go for it. Even if you don’t get the arches that you want, you will probably get relief, and some other good surprises, as well.