Symptoms: kids easily get tired even for a short distance with abnormal walking posture.
Consequence: plantar fasciitis, lower limb tendonitis, lower back pain or even neck pain.
Causes: can be divided into congenital and environmental induced. Congenital factors like tarsal bones fusion, lax ligaments, heredity factors while environment factors includes obesity and shoes wearing habit.
The main aim of treating flat feet is to improve the improper biomechanics induced by the flat feet. Improper biomechanics change the normal gait pattern which would cause other joint and skeletal complications. Patients with flat feet should tailor-make suitable insoles (prescribed by medical professionals) for biomechanical correction and symptoms relief.
To strengthen the collapsed foot arch, parents should encourage their kids to train the muscles and ligaments easily by, e.g. playing with naked feet on grass or sand surfaces. Youngsters should wear sports shoes during physical activities to prevent blockage of the growth of foot arch. Moreover, shoes should be of suitable size and high-heeled shoes should be avoided.
To avoid affecting kids’ development, parents should have the feet assessment performed by a Spine and Physiotherapist as soon as possible in order to get proper concepts towards flat feet.