• As a rule, the kinked flatfoot is caused by a weakness of the foot musculature which normally supports the foot arch. While this weakness is normal in infants, it should disappear within a few years. However, a lifestyle without sufficient exercise, reinforced by the immobilisation of the feet in shoes, often means that the foot musculature is not given the training stimuli it needs. As a result, the muscle strength required for a stable foot arch is not developed, even in youths and adults. Foot weakness is almost always the cause of flatfoot.
• Flatfoot can be a congenital or an acquired foot malposition.
  Congenital flatfoot is comparatively rare and occurs in combination with other malformations in about 50 per cent of cases.
  Acquired flatfoot usually results from inadequate muscle and ligament function. Possible causes include insufficient training (constant sitting and wearing of shoes), overtaxing of the feet due to excessive weight or standing for long periods, connective tissue weakness, heel bone fracture (‘post-traumatic flatfoot’) and diseases such as poliomyelitis, rickets and neurological and rheumatic disorders. The ankle bone is in the normal position on X-rays.
• Splayfoot usually develops due to years of improper strain on the foot. Splayfoot is not caused by a lack of exercise, but usually by wearing unsuitable shoes and especially shoes with heels. Wearing high-heeled pumps increases front-foot load by a factor of five. Connective tissue weakness (especially among women, who have a genetic predisposition) is another reason for increased width of the front of the foot.
  Often, the affected individual rolls over the outside edge of the foot while walking. The right way would be to ‘push off’ over the big toe. Poor footwear or hard surfaces are usually the reasons for an ‘incorrect rollover’. Stiff shoes greatly limit the foot’s freedom of movement. The foot musculature grows increasingly weaker as a result and one begins to compensate with an unfavourable ‘rollover’ while walking. As a result, the foot keeps getting weaker, the transverse foot arch becomes insufficient and splayfoot develops.
• A contracted foot is usually congenital, running in families.
  Other causes include paralysis and nerve damage to the foot musculature. A weakness in the foot musculature and ligaments can also be a cause. Sometimes the hollow foot is the first sign of muscle weakness or a muscle disorder.

A failure to address and treat foot malpositions and their causes usually results in pain and wear in the feet, and later in other joints as well.

Orthopaedic insoles are often prescribed. This can provide short-term foot relief, but is not a good solution over the long term in most cases since passive support is provided for the feet so that the muscles keep getting weaker. This does not improve the foot malposition over the long term. Quite to the contrary, the foot gets accustomed to the orthopaedic insoles and the pain often returns as a result.

Those who depend exclusively on passive insoles are not doing anything about the cause of an acquired foot malposition. Usually the foot musculature is severely weakened and foot mobility is restricted. Then, when the weakened feet are also supported by orthopaedic insoles, the foot moves even less freely and the foot musculature is weakened further. This causes the foot malposition to deteriorate further.

In the course of life, this leads to a risk of pain caused by excessive strain on the weak foot musculature, knee damage caused by incorrect force transmission while walking and standing, the development of a painful heel spur, intervertebral disc and back problems due to the disruption of movement patterns and inadequate dampening of impact because the arch of the foot has sagged.

• Orthopaedic insoles
• Physiotherapy (foot exercises)
• Medications (painkillers)

We recommend both the kybun mat and the kybun shoe for users with clubfoot, splayfoot or any other acquired foot malpositions (those that result from weak foot musculature). Standing directly on the soft, elastic surface trains the core foot musculature and improves foot mobility. The core foot musculature is often severely weakened in case of foot problems. As a result, the foot is no longer stabilised properly. This can lead to pain and even more severe malpositions over time.

With the kybun shoe or kybun mat, the foot can again move freely in all directions, much like walking barefoot on a soft surface. This strengthens the core, stabilising foot musculature. Stability is improved in cases of splayfoot, clubfoot or flat foot. It has been proven that an insufficient or flat arch of the foot can be stabilised by muscle training and the complaints are alleviated as a result. This can prevent the condition of the foot from worsening and protects the joints above the foot.

The more often the foot musculature is trained, the faster the foot position will improve and the pain alleviated. In the kybun shoe/on the kybun mat, you can integrate the training into your everyday life without spending extra time and thereby challenge your foot musculature continuously over the course of the day.

For active stabilisation training of the foot, we advise wearing the kybun shoe without orthopaedic insoles. The foot musculature needs several months of regular training before it is strong enough to walk several hours in the kybun shoe. Until then, you can wear normal shoes with insoles for relief. After years of using insoles, wearing the kybun shoe all the time may be too much for the feet in the beginning (in the first weeks/months).
Insoles provide passive support for the feet but do not improve the foot situation over the long term in any way. We recommend against constantly wearing orthopaedic insoles. It is best to listen to your body, since it tells you what is good for it and when it needs a break.

Pay attention to putting an even load on the sole in the kybun shoe and ensure that the foot stands upright on the sole. This gives you a favourable leg axis and also prevents the feet and knees from ‘rolling in’ as much.

Avoid making your steps too long; this makes it easier to maintain a good foot position in the kybun shoe. This reduces rolling to the inside.

Some people feel too unstable in the kybun shoe. In this case, we advise you to try various kybun shoe models; some models with a higher cut provide more stability. We also recommend that these customers try a kybun shoe with a lower rebound effect. It is a bit wider in the midfoot area, therefore making you feel more stable while walking (ask for advice in a kybun specialised shop).

If you still feel too unsafe walking in the kybun shoe, we advise using the kybun mat. The kybun mat is available in three different thicknesses. This allows you to choose the thickness that is most comfortable for you (the thicker, the more unstable, the more intensive the training).
You can also hold on to a fixed object if you need additional support when using the kybun mat.

With splayfoot, it is important to train the core foot musculature and promote foot mobility.
If you experience pain in the kybun shoe in the beginning, we recommend that you insert a small cushion or a fairly stiff insole (available at a chemist’s) under the arch. This supports the transverse arch and prevents hyperextension (pain). Once the foot musculature gets stronger (through training in the kybun shoe/on the kybun mat among other things), the anterior transverse arch is stabilised and you may be able to do without the padding or stiff insole again.