Do you wonder why your child seems to complain about standing for a long time? Does he seem to work through his shoes rather quickly, leaving them looking worn out and squashed? Does he have trouble keeping his balance when running? Perhaps your child has flat feet.
Flat feet, known as pes planus or fallen arches, is a condition wherein the feet do not have the arch that is present in those with normal feet. It can occur in one or both feet. Of course, when you check babies’ feet, you will probably note that they all look flat, but that is because the arch has not formed yet. The arches usually form by the time the child reaches two or three years old. Unfortunately for some people, the arches never develop.
Flat feet usually do not cause serious problems, although they are usually characterized by symptoms of strain. They can come as a congenital condition, with a person born with it, or when the foot suffers extensive trauma by constantly running on hard surfaces. Sometimes, the feet may appear to have arches when the person is seated and with the big toe bent backward, but as soon as he puts his weight on the foot, the arch flattens out. Flat feet may also come as a result of years of wear and tear that weaken the tendon responsible for holding the arch.
The main symptoms from having flat feet include aching feet after standing for a while and possible swelling on the midfoot when standing. Some experience a visible deformity of the foot, or limping from the loss of push-off strength from the foot. It may also cause lower leg pain, or pain on the inside of a person’s ankle.
If you suspect your child to have the condition, the signs that you can look for include checking his shoes. If his shoes show excessive wear on the mid sole on the inside part of, between the heel and midfoot, there is a good chance that your child has flat feet. You can schedule a trip to a podiatrist to make sure the fallen arches do not affect the hip or the knee. This doctor’s visit is even more important if the child complains of pain when walking or running. The rarest case is when the flat feet are caused by foot bones that have been joined together, which keeps the bones from moving and causes pain.
There are contradicting views about whether special shoes or orthopedic inserts can help the condition. Some believe that wearing inserts helps ease the pain by giving the feet an artificial arch, but others believe that the foot development will not be affected anyway. Indeed, the inserts have been found not to affect the growth, but just seems to offer some relief while they are being worn. This is why, if your child experiences pain on his feet, the doctor is more likely to recommend a shoe insert or a heel cup to alleviate it. It would seem that flexible flat feet that do not cause any pain generally do not need to be treated.
In a few of the cases, complications can come from flat feet. This may include inflammation and pain on the ligaments on the soles of the child’s feet. It may also lead to bunions and calluses, as well as stress fractures on the lower leg. But these are considered to be limited cases, as most flat feet cases do not result in anything more serious.
Fortunately, flat feet do not necessarily limit your child’s physical activities. Although the child with flat feet may feel physical strain on his feet faster than other children, as long as he can still go on, it is no problem. Doctors typically only recommend rest when the feet get painful from overuse. Apparently, wearing special shoes, walking barefoot, or even doing foot exercises have not been proven to help flat feet.
These insights into flat feet should give you the needed peace of mind to assist your child in whatever way he needs. Surgery is usually not considered for flat feet, except in very rare cases. Still, only your doctor can help advice you on that, and most cases can be left well enough alone, so you need not worry yourself to pieces imagining worst case scenarios.
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