Physicians Health

In my previous post I wrote about the causes and symptoms of flat foot, now lets go on and find what treatments the physicians suggest and whether flatfoot is a problem or not.

The physicians have controversial opinions, but remember that everything depends on your own case. If you have flexible flat foot and it doesn’t disturb you, then just don’t focus on it.

Flat foot treatment

You needn’t think over treatment options if flat foot causes no side effects or complications. But if, for example, you feel pain while wearing special shoes for flat foot or don’t feel your feet normally, then turn to your doctor and ask for health advice.

Flat foot treatment options vary. They depend on the cause of the flat foot as well as the condition of the deformed foot or feet.

In-shoe orthotic: if you have a mild flat foot, then arch supporting in-shoe orthotic can be very beneficial especially for children. It doesn’t make any harm and if used from early age can even correct flat foot. The baby can have to use orthotics for long time — to avoid future problems, it becomes a must, especially when one foot is flatter than the other one, because asymmetrical forces can impose a significant trauma to the foot. The problem becomes severe if the person is athletically active or obese.

The physicians suggest three types of arch support: rigid, semi-rigid and soft. The physicians will advise you one in reference to the degree of your child’s flat foot. A shoe insert will be a good option if your child has foot pain, another option are orthopedic shoes, which are useful for keeping the shoe on your child’s foot.

Surgical procedures are needed only if the child doesn’t have a well developed foot or when arch supports do not help. There are two types of surgical procedures. During the first one the surgeon inserts a small cylindrical plug into the heel bone joint. The operation will last for some 20 minutes and the child will be able to walk after a few days.

If the foot deformation has gone further, then another surgery will be needed. In this case the surgeon changes the shape of the foot with bone cuts, combined with the use of a bone graft. If performed correctly and by a good and professional surgeon, these surgeries will correct your child’s flat foot.

Some causes of flat feet can be successfully treated without surgery if caught early, so surgery should be the last option.

My last heath advice for this post is — take care of your children. Parental care, trust me, — that’s the best support for your child.

Photo © Qole Pejorian