Foot & Ankle Care
The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports
Medicine, P. C. can evaluate your foot & ankle condition and provide the customized treatment plan to get you back to enjoying life!!
Flexible Flatfoot In Children
Foot & Ankle Specialists In The Greater St. John, Crown Point and Lowell, Areas
The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, P. C. treat foot & ankle conditions and injuries at their 3 convenient offices in
St. John, Crown Point and Lowell, Indiana. Our orthopedic physicians are specially-trained in treating foot & ankle conditions and injuries. As leaders in orthopedic care, we provide minimally invasive and innovative treatment options, as well as utilizing state-of-the art technologies, to create unique and individualized care plan designed to get you back on your road to recovery and regaining an active lifestyle!!
FAQs on Flexible Flatfoot In Children
Flexible Flatfoot In Children
When a child with flexible flatfoot stands, the arch of the foot disappears. Upon sitting or when the child is on tiptoes, the arch reappears. Although called “flexible flatfoot,” this condition always affects both feet.
Flexible flatfoot is common in children. Parents and other family members often worry needlessly that an abnormally low or absent arch in a child’s foot will lead to permanent deformities or disabilities. Flexible flatfoot is usually painless and does not interfere with walking or sports participation. Most children eventually outgrow it without any problems.
A flexible flatfoot is considered to be a variation of a normal foot. The muscles and joints of a flexible flatfoot function normally.
Most children are born with very little arch in the feet. As they grow and walk, the soft tissues along the bottom of the feet tighten, which gradually shapes the arches of the feet.
Children with flexible flatfoot often do not begin to develop an arch until the age of 5 years or older. Some children never develop an arch.
If flexible flatfoot continues into adolescence, a child may experience aching pain along the bottom of the foot. A doctor should be consulted if a child’s flatfeet cause pain.
Diagnosis
To make the diagnosis, your doctor will examine your child to rule out other types of flatfeet that may require treatment. These include flexible flatfoot with a tight heel cord (Achilles tendon), or rigid flatfoot, which is a more serious condition.
Tell your doctor if anyone else in the family is flatfooted, as this may be an inherited condition. Your doctor will need to know about any known neurological or muscular disease in your child.
Your doctor will look for patterns of wear on your child’s everyday shoes. He or she may ask your child to sit, stand, raise the toes while standing, and stand on tiptoe.
In addition, your doctor will probably examine your child’s heel cord (Achilles tendon) for tightness and may check the bottom of your child’s foot for calluses.
Treatment Options
Nonsurgical Treatment
Treatment for flexible flatfoot is required only if the child is experiencing discomfort from the condition.
Stretching exercises
If your child has activity-related pain or tiredness in the foot, ankle, or leg, your doctor may recommend stretching exercises for the heel cord.
Heel Cord Stretch
Lean forward against a wall with one leg in front of the other. Straighten your back leg and press your heel into the floor. Your front knee is bent. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Keep both heels flat on the floor. Point the toes of your back foot toward the heel of your front foot.
Shoe inserts
If discomfort continues, your doctor may recommend shoe inserts. Soft-, firm-, and hard-molded arch supports may relieve your child’s foot pain and fatigue. They can also extend the life of your child’s shoes, which may otherwise wear unevenly.
Additional treatment
Your doctor may prescribe physical therapy or casting if your child has flexible flatfoot with tight heel cords.
Surgical Treatment
Occasionally, surgical treatment will be necessary for an adolescent with persistent pain. In a small number of children, flexible flatfeet become rigid instead of correcting with growth. These cases may need further medical evaluation.
