Flat Feet Causes Symptoms And Treatment

You have fallen arches or flat feet if arches on the inside of your feet are flattened, which allow the whole soles of your feet to touch the ground when you stand.

Flat feet can happen when the arches don't grow during childhood. In different cases, flat feet also develop after a damage or injury or from the simple tear and wear stresses of age.

Flat feet can also be the reason of problems in your knees and ankles because the situation can alter the arrangement of your legs. No surgery or therapy is usually needed for flat feet if you aren't having pain.

 

Symptoms Of Flat Feet

Most of the people have no symptoms or signs linked with flat feet. But some people experience foot pain with flat feet, especially in the arch or heel area.

Causes Of Flat Feet

A flat foot is common in toddlers and infants because the arch of the foot hasn't yet developed. Arches of most of the people's develop throughout childhood, but some people arches never develop. This is a common modification in foot type, and people without arches may not or may have problems.

 

Some children have flexible flatfoot, maybe sometime you notice that when the child is standing or sitting on tiptoes, the arch is visible but when the child stands it disappears. Most children develop flexible flatfoot without any problems.

 

Arches can also decrease and weaken over time. Years of wear and tear can make the tendon weak which helps support your arch.

 

Risk Factors

Some factors that can increase the risk factor of flat feet include:

 

1. 
   
   Obesity


2. 
   
   Injury to your foot or ankle


3. 
   
   Rheumatoid arthritis


4. 
   
   Aging


5. 
   
   Diabetes

 

Diagnosis Of Flat Feet

To observe the mechanism of your feet, your doctor will see your feet from the back and front and ask you to stand on your toes and might also study the wear pattern on your shoes.

 

If you're feeling a lot of soreness pain in your feet, your doctor may suggest you these tests:

 

X-rays: X-ray uses a low amount of radiation to create images of the joints and bones in your feet. It's especially useful in identifying arthritis.

CT scan: This test takes X-rays of your foot from different angles and gives much more detail than a standard X-ray.

Ultrasound: If your doctor found a damaged tendon, he or she may demand this test, which produces detailed images of soft tissues with the help of sound waves within the body.

MRI: Using a strong magnet and radio waves, MRIs give great detail of both soft and hard tissues.

 

Treatment Of Flat Feet

No treatment is needed for flat feet if they don't cause pain. If your flat feet causing pain, your doctor might suggest:

 

Arch supports (orthotic devices): Insoles or counter arch supports may help in the pain relieve caused by flat feet. Or your doctor might recommend custom-designed arch supports, which are molded to the contours of your feet.

Stretching exercises: Some people with a shortened Achilles tendon also have flat feet. So, the exercises of stretching tendon may help.

Supportive shoes: A structurally supportive sandals or shoes are might be more comfortable as compared to the shoes or sandals with minimal support.

Surgery: Surgery isn't done only to fix flat feet. However, you might have surgery for a correlated problem, such as a tendon rupture or tear.