Quote Originally Posted by Jolt View Post
I have come to think that the real cause of the problem is that because of the way our shoes cause us to walk/run, we tend to use these muscles less and others too much. ...That's why I made the switch to running in minimal shoes (no padding or support, and very flexible) or barefoot. It has definitely helped me get rid of an annoying problem (more than doing the PT exercises did--they helped with strength and flexibility but didn't address the underlying form issue)!
Barefooting really appeals to me, but I've come to the conclusion that I can't do it safely unless I can get the head of my first metatarsal onto the ground with my ankles in neutral, and I've not been able to do that, even standing still. The prevailing thought is that it's a structural issue that requires external correction.

Still working on supporting it with a minimal amount of disruption to the rest of my foot...