Flatfoot. Fallen arches. You definitely know if you have it and if you suspect you have it, a very simple way to tell is to press your bare foot on a damp grassy area or a wet paper towel and then step on a dry spot on the sidewalk. . If you see the entire bottom of your foot in the footprint, that’s a good indicator that you have flat feet. There should be an open area on the inside of the foot between the bottom of the toes and the heel.

Flat feet affect all ages, even babies just learning to walk. But in the case of young children, the problem will usually correct itself as the child gets older and the bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles get stronger with use and walking. However, for adults, no matter what the reason for flat feet is, it takes some work to fix the problem.

Here are 5 things you can do daily to strengthen and ultimately help repair your flat feet.

1. Keep them straight. Take a minute to assess your standing position. Stand up and walk around the room for one minute. Stop and look ahead. Now, without changing the position of your feet, look down and see which way your feet are pointing. For most people, if they were to draw an imaginary straight line from their little finger, they would find that their feet point outward, almost to the point of “duck feet.” If that’s the case for you, turn your foot at the ankle so that the imaginary line is straight in front of you, so that the lines of both feet are parallel and point toward whatever object is in the distance in front of you . Remember that position. Every time you stop to sit still, take note of your foot position and adjust accordingly.
2. Get your knees out. Once your feet are in the straight position mentioned above, try bouncing your kneecaps up and down. Can? Most people can’t. Keep trying. It’s usually easier to try to pick them up and then let them go. Once you’ve bounced them up and down a few times, try to open your knees without lifting your feet or bending your knees. Be patient, this is not easy! Imagine trying to get your knees to face each side wall. What you should notice is that your feet miraculously “get” an arch. Again, every time you stop to sit, get those feet into position and try to roll your knees.
3. Raise your toes. You can do this while standing (hold on to a chair if necessary) or while sitting. With your feet on the ground, spread your toes wide, then lift them into the air while keeping the ball of your foot and heel on the ground. Let them fall to the ground again. Now, next time, try lifting each toe in a wave starting with your big toe up to your little toe until they are all lifted up again. Put them back in reverse order. This helps to strengthen the individual muscles of the foot. If you are standing up while trying this exercise, remember the position of your feet and try to keep your knees turned.
4. Massage the arch. Using a tennis ball or similar children’s play ball, massage the arch of the foot each day by rolling it back and forth on the ball. Stand up and dip your foot into the ball, but don’t put your full body weight on the ball. Switch to the other foot.
5. Stretch your calves. One of the gurus of the feet, an expert in body alignment and biomechanics, Katy Bowman’s exercises for any type of foot problem are calf stretches. Place the ball of her foot on top of a rolled up towel and drop her heel to the floor. Keeping your weight on the heel of that foot, try to slowly move your free foot forward. Switch to the other side.

If you experience pain due to flat feet, wear a shoe with arch support from time to time to help with the pain. Be sure to see your podiatrist if the pain persists or if you know you have had an injury or trauma to your foot.

Over time, as you strengthen and stretch the muscles in your feet, you will find that your flat feet will no longer be flat. Try the water test again and see if there is a change! Either way, your feet will be healthier and happier after a little work and exercise.