Monday 29 December 2014

All You Need To Know About Flat Feet

"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering & a work of art."
                                                                                                           -Leonardo Da Vinci


The human foot consists of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments & 19 muscles which work together to balance your whole body. No wonder this great artist has named it a masterpiece 1/4 of all bones in the human body are in the feet. Standing in the kitchen for cooking, walking down to buy vegetables playing any sport, or dancing are all the activities we can do because of our feet. Healthy feet are key to an active lifestyle. Human feet are designed to walk on natural surfaces like soil & sand, but instead of that, we are walking on hard surfaces like pavements or marble. That's why the incidence of foot problems. Out of all flat feet is the most common & unnoticed problem. If is it not diagnosed at the right age, it can lead to serious complications in the future. I get many patients saying, " My physiotherapist told me, I have flat feet & my family doctor says I don't have flat feet, I don't know what exactly flat feet mean...!"


Flat Feet
What is Flat Feet ?
We have a small gap on the inner side of our feet when we stand, when this gap is not there it's called flat feet. Everybody is born with flat feet, as a child starts walking his/ her arch starts developing. First, five years of age are crucial for arch development.

Effect OF Flat Feet On Posture:
All joints in our body work together. As feet are base of our body it affects entire posture. Following image will give you clear idea about how flat feet can affect alignment of all proximal joints.

Effect of Flat Feet







Causes:
Knee Pain
  • Ligament laxity.
  • Muscle weakness/ Hypotonia of muscles.
  • Fracture/ trauma around ankle joint.
  • Family history.
  • Obesity.
Symptoms:
  • Tired achy legs.
  • Heel pain, Knee pain & back pain.
  • Recurrent ankle sprain (Poor Balance)
  • Early osteoarthritis of joints.
  • Corn & Calluses etc.


Treatment:

Custom-made orthotics are the main line of treatment for flat feet. People always try to get some off
the shelf orthotics & course it doesn't help their problem. Orthotics correction should be based on lots of variables like the severity of flat feet, age, weight, lifestyle, alignment of proximal joints, etc. Thus shelf things are not advisable. A Podiatrist is a right person to prescribe the orthotics.

     Podiatry is a branch of medicine specializing in ankle & foot problems. A Podiatrist doctor will do a thorough assessment of your alignment, diagnose the problem & then provide a customized solution for the same.
After certain age flat feet are not correctable but orthotic intervention can prevent further damage.


Shoe Test


Good supportive shoes are recommended for flat feet. Criteria for supportive shoes are rigid soles & firm ankle control. One should not able to twist (Torsion Test) & or bend (Flexibility Test) easily. Usually spots shoes are the best supportive shoes. For a person with flat feet, anti-pronation shoes are recommended.

Exercise:
To strengthen foot & ankle muscles & maintain an ideal weight.

Case Study

Testimony



                                                                                                                   

2 comments:

  1. At the Pittodrie Podiatry Practice we understand the importance of finding the right team of professionals for you, your family and your staff.The Pittodrie Podiatry Practice in Aberdeen provides Podiatrists Near Aberdeen with fully qualified Podiatrists.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this post with us. Actually, there are lots of varieties of kid's arch support insoles in the market. But I personally use KidSole's product. It is an online store. They have top-quality Heelcup, Heel Pad, & Gel Socks, and other foot support solutions. You should try their products once. You will never regret it.

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