The flat foot is an altered foot shape that is often referred to as a flat foot in common parlance. It is often caused by congenital connective tissue or muscle weaknesses.
Here you will find further information on this foot deformity and selected doctors for the treatment of flat feet.
Around the age of one, a child begins to stand and walk for the first time. Children affected by flat feet can then recognize a change in the shape of their feet. Medically, this is known as flat feet, colloquially as flat feet.
There are various changes in the anatomy of the foot, as the diagram shows:
Different forms of foot deformities © Henrie / Fotolia
Buckling refers to an increased bending of the heel (viewed from above downwards and from behind) towards the outside of the foot compared to normal. The drop refers to the flattening of the longitudinal arch normally present on the inside of the foot.
This is often caused by congenital weaknesses in the connective tissue or muscles. Obesity can also play a role, especially in older children. Paralysis is rarely the cause.
In young children in particular, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate from age-correlated normal findings. Flat feet often do not cause any symptoms.
Between the ages of 2 and 5, a discretely pronounced flat foot is normal for developmental reasons and usually does not require treatment.
The deformity is usually flexible, i.e. the shape of the foot can be passively influenced by the examiner. This is no longer possible with a rigid flat foot.
Experienced specialists, such as orthopaedic specialists or pediatric orthopaedists, diagnose a flat foot through inspection and functional testing. If the findings are very pronounced, an X-ray examination can also help.
Using suitable equipment (podoscope), the footprint can also be visualized and assessed in specialist practices.
The most common form of flatfoot is the flexible, mild to moderate flatfoot of small children. It usually requires no special treatment.
Semi-annual clinical follow-up checks are sufficient. The child should walk barefoot a lot and be motivated to do playful exercises to strengthen the foot muscles. These include standing on tiptoe, gripping exercises with the toes, etc.
In more severe cases, physiotherapy treatment may be useful.
Insoles are only indicated for severe fallen arches. They must be made from a plaster cast and produced by an orthopaedic technician in consultation with the treating orthopaedic surgeon. The duration of wear should not be too short and can be several years.
Their necessity should be checked regularly by the orthopaedic specialist.
Severe forms of flat feet may be an indication for surgery. The prerequisites for this are
A large number of soft tissue interventions (such as tendon displacements) are known. The common principle is the improvement of the arch-lifting muscle traction.
Such interventions should only be considered after the age of 8.
In the most severe, especially rigid cases, it may even be necessary to intervene on the skeleton of the foot. This is particularly necessary in the case of underlying neurological conditions such as infantile cerebral palsy. The operation may involve stiffening with bone wedge removal or the insertion of arch-supporting implants.
The most common form of flatfoot, the early flexible variant, has a good prognosis. Most flat feet do not require any special treatment. They often balance themselves out again through normal growth by school age.
The results of surgical procedures are all the better the more carefully the strict and individual indication for surgery has been determined.
In severe forms of flatfoot that cannot be treated in any other way, it is often not possible to achieve a complete physiological foot position. However, surgeons usually achieve a worthwhile improvement in the deformity. It alleviates the symptoms of those affected.
The following applies in particular to the common childhood fallen arches without underlying additional illnesses: sport, practiced within reasonable limits and with fun, has a positive effect on coordination and muscle strength. Doctors generally recommend such sporting activities.
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