Studies suggest 20-30 percent of all people suffer from flat feet. Duck feet, as some may call it, is medically describes as pes planus. Though flatfoot is a well recognized diagnosis, its cause is not as well defined. Flatfoot can be seen in young children and is actually considered normal up to the age of two or even five years old. Some flatfoot conditions occur much later in life and in reality; flatfoot can be encountered at any age and cause a broad range of pain from absolutely none to physically debilitating.
The most basic way to describe a flatfoot is rigid or flexible. A rigid flatfoot is flat all the time. Whether standing or sitting, the foot never appears to have an arch. A flexible flatfoot on the other hand looks and appears normal when non-weight bearing but as soon as one stands up the arch disappears and the foot collapses to the floor. Generally, those with a rigid flat foot experience more pain. Those with flexible flatfoot have a wider range of discomfort. Some experience no discomfort at all.
Whether experiencing pain or not, the general public and many of patients are quite concerned about their flatfeet. As if the flatfoot is a ticking time bomb that will ruin their life, everyone wants to know what they can do for their flat feet! There is truth to when your feet hurt your whole body hurts, but often, the trick to keep your feet happy is not taking them under the knife. With that said, there are a considerable number of people who benefit greatly from surgical reconstruction of their foot. These people have exhausted all conservative treatments that have all failed to bring them relief.
Where to start? If you are asymptomatic, don’t worry so much. There is nothing you can do short of surgery that will recreate an arch. When you have a flatfoot, it is often a combination of soft tissue failure and boney alignment dysfunction. The biomechanics of your foot becomes compromised. You can still walk but for some, it is not without discomfort. Simple measures such as orthotics and bracing are often all that is needed to rid the discomfort. This also means that shoes play an important role. Every day of the summer I have patients strolling into my office in flip flops and other poor excuses for shoes. Low and behold, this only creates problems for flatfooters.
Parents often get very anxious when they see their child flopping around on archless feet. Studies have shown that athletic performance or injury rates have zero correlation to flat feet. If the flat feet are asymptomatic, no treatment is eminent through research is lacking to really determine the value of an orthotic on long term symptoms. For children that have symptoms, they may have an underlying coalition, meaning they may have bones in their foot that are fused that shouldn’t be. These children improve significantly with surgical procedures to correct this deformity.
Generally, my rule of thumb is pain needs to be treated and concerns of your health should always be addressed. Flatfoot does not mean you need a complex surgery. Though surgical procedures for flatfoot can greatly improve one’s symptoms it is not for everyone.
To receive your FREE kid's coloring book click here. You are able to download immediately or have the the book sent right to your door at no cost!
Showing posts with label flat feet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flat feet. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Will My Child Outgrow Flat Feet?
Flat feet can also be referred to as pes plannus, pes planovalgus, valgo plannus, or pronation syndrome. It is commonly described as a foot without and arch. Flexible and Rigid flatfoot are the two basic forms. A flat foot is rigid when the arch appears flat when the child is sitting and when the child is standing. The flexible flatfoot is when the foot appears normal when the child is sitting, but the arch collapses when the child bears any weight on the foot. The flexible form is less severe and much more common.
Flatfoot is normal in children under three years old. Young children are very flexible and will appear to have flat feet. It is normal for the child’s foot to appear as it is rolled in and pointing outward until they past their toddler years. You may need to see a podiatrist if you child still appears flat as they near the age to attend school.
The podiatrist will evaluate the entire lower extremity to determine if the child is experiencing any weakness or pain. The child may complain of pain in the foot, ankle or the knee. The child may also have a history of clumsiness, or a voluntary decrease in activity. The doctor will take x-rays to evaluate the joints and alignment of the bones.
A tight calf is a common finding in all flatfoot patients. This may be a significant component to the patient’s present and future pain. Thus, it is common for children to undergo physical therapy to learn stretches and exercises that target the calf muscles.
The gold standard in treating flatfoot is orthotic therapy. Orthoses are custom made shoe inserts that assist in foot function. Since the orthoses are custom made, they are design to address the child’s specific foot structure and associated problems. These devices will help prevent the flatfoot from progressing and decrease the current pain that the child is experiencing.
Surgery is a treatment of last resort. In rare cases, a child will continue to have pain or disabling fatigue after all conservative treatments are attempted. Surgery is invasive and often unnecessary to control flatfoot pain, so it is not attempted until the doctor and parent have exhausted all other treatment options.
In these severe cases, where the child’s flat foot is flexible, an implant can be placed in the rear part of the foot. One type of implants is the Hyprocure. The procedure takes only seven minutes and is made with a tiny incision. The implant causes an immediate arch and rarely needs to be removed. This procedure is done in children with severe pain in the arch or where the arch is so collapsed it will lead to an arthritic condition when they get older.
Many parents worry about their children’s flat feet, but in most cases the children grow out of them by the time they reach kindergarten. At this age, we begin to worry that the child may actually have a flatfoot. Generally these feet are easily managed and the child can have a normal and active life with no limitations. Be aware of children’s feet and their pain. It is common for children to fall and cry, but it is not common for a child to have foot pain or fatigue. It is always better to treat the flat foot immediately on a conservative basis because once they reach the age of three it might be very difficult to correct.
Flatfoot is normal in children under three years old. Young children are very flexible and will appear to have flat feet. It is normal for the child’s foot to appear as it is rolled in and pointing outward until they past their toddler years. You may need to see a podiatrist if you child still appears flat as they near the age to attend school.
The podiatrist will evaluate the entire lower extremity to determine if the child is experiencing any weakness or pain. The child may complain of pain in the foot, ankle or the knee. The child may also have a history of clumsiness, or a voluntary decrease in activity. The doctor will take x-rays to evaluate the joints and alignment of the bones.
A tight calf is a common finding in all flatfoot patients. This may be a significant component to the patient’s present and future pain. Thus, it is common for children to undergo physical therapy to learn stretches and exercises that target the calf muscles.
The gold standard in treating flatfoot is orthotic therapy. Orthoses are custom made shoe inserts that assist in foot function. Since the orthoses are custom made, they are design to address the child’s specific foot structure and associated problems. These devices will help prevent the flatfoot from progressing and decrease the current pain that the child is experiencing.
Surgery is a treatment of last resort. In rare cases, a child will continue to have pain or disabling fatigue after all conservative treatments are attempted. Surgery is invasive and often unnecessary to control flatfoot pain, so it is not attempted until the doctor and parent have exhausted all other treatment options.
In these severe cases, where the child’s flat foot is flexible, an implant can be placed in the rear part of the foot. One type of implants is the Hyprocure. The procedure takes only seven minutes and is made with a tiny incision. The implant causes an immediate arch and rarely needs to be removed. This procedure is done in children with severe pain in the arch or where the arch is so collapsed it will lead to an arthritic condition when they get older.
Many parents worry about their children’s flat feet, but in most cases the children grow out of them by the time they reach kindergarten. At this age, we begin to worry that the child may actually have a flatfoot. Generally these feet are easily managed and the child can have a normal and active life with no limitations. Be aware of children’s feet and their pain. It is common for children to fall and cry, but it is not common for a child to have foot pain or fatigue. It is always better to treat the flat foot immediately on a conservative basis because once they reach the age of three it might be very difficult to correct.