Flat feet is very common and it is taken as normal in the growing child. An important thing to know here is the arch develops in the first decade of life. So arch develops in the first ten years of life so no newborn has an arch naturally. So when the child is born the foot is chubby and it is called the fat foot, it looks like a flat foot. Pediatric orthopaedist is the specialised doctors who treat flat feet.
“Flat foot is fairly a common problem, but there are a lot of misconcepts in parents. There are some coomon mistakes which reduce the opportunities of the child to develop proper arches ”- Dr Ratnav Ratan – Pediatric orthopaedic in Gurgaon.
Dr Ratnav Ratan is the best Orthopedic doctor in Gurgaon. He practices in CK Birla Hospital and Young Bones Clinic. He is a pioneer in sports injuries and Pediatric orthopaedic in Gurgaon with 13+ years of experience.
What are flat feet?
It is when the feet arches are poorly developed and the foot appears almost flat on the ground. Most of the parents are unaware that infants when they start walking up till the age of 2 years they all are flat-footed. There are multiple reasons for it.
First is the control of the brain over their muscles. It is not yet that mature. Then they have got extra fat pads under their foot. Also, they generally have a little lower tone of the body till the age of 2 years.
So, if your child is falling under the age group of two years and showing flat foot postures then you need not worry about it. It is normal, it is physiological.
Physiological flat foot is broadly classified into two types:
- Flexible flat foot.
- Rigid flat foot.
Flexible Flat Feet
If the child is in the non-weight barring position. For example, the child is lying down or if the child is sitting. We can see nicely developed foot arches. But when the child starts to go into the weight-bearing position. That is if the child starts to stand or he starts walking. Those foot arches will collapse giving the foot a flat appearance. Mostly in flexible flat foot type, the child will not complain of any pain or any discomfort. In only some cases after prolonged activities, after long hours of running or child engages in the outdoor games or if the child is been standing for a long time then the child might complain of pain. Which is diffuse in his foot and the lower leg.
For the kids who are in the adolescent age group, those who are in the teenage group this pain might even extent to the anterior part of the knee or even the back.
Rigid Flat Feet
In case of rigid flat foot whether it is the weight-bearing condition or whether it is non-weight bearing the foot will always appear flat on the ground. Children’s normally develop their foot arches from the age of 2 years to 5 years. In some kids, it might even be extended up to 7 years.
It is a very critical face if your child is falling under this age group and showing flat foot that there are certain simple exercises which you can incorporate as a play. It will improve the strength of the structure that are supporting foot arches. There are some common mistakes that the parents make unknowingly which reduce the opportunities of the child to develop those structures.
What are the predisposing factors for flat feet?
Positive family history – If flat foot runs in your family, then there are more chances that the kid will also have it.
Obesity – If your child is overweight, the child is more prone to the development of poor foot arches.
It is found in research that kids who are given closed type of tight shoe very early in their life. For example before the age of five or six years. In them, it hinders the development of adequate foot arches. Ideally, every kid should be given as much of an opportunity as possible to walk barefoot on different textures and different surfaces.
Whether it is the wet sand, dry sand, soil, grass etc. They get a lot of feedback from these textures. It is not only the even surface at home but the uneven surfaces as well, the slopes, rough surfaces they should be encountering all the surfaces barefoot. There is a certain type of feedback that the child gets while weight-bearing.
For example when he's standing, through the ground reaction forces child can understand regarding the texture of the surface and regarding his bone joint position sense. This feedback is much more when the child is standing without footwear than the one with the footwear. This feedback is extremely important for the activation of a certain group of muscles called the intrinsic group of muscles. This intrinsic foot muscles play an important role in giving strength to the foot arches.
Exercises will help the child to get a better fit alignment especially if you think he's showing the symptoms of the flexible flat foot category. Consulting a pediatric orthopaedic is recommended if the symptoms are shown. Always remember it takes some time to develop proper arches, so give some time as well.
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