My child has flat feet what should I do?
Normally, flat feet disappear by the age of six as the feet become less flexible and the arches develop. Only about 1 or 2 out of every 10 children will continue to have flat feet into adulthood.
For children who do not develop an arch, treatment is not recommended unless the foot is stiff or painful. Shoe inserts won’t help your child develop an arch, and may cause more problems than the flat feet themselves.
However, certain types of flat feet may need to be treated differently. For example, a child may have tightness of the Achilles tendon or calf muscle that can limit the motion of their ankle. This tightness can result in a flat foot, but it usually can be treated with special stretching exercises to lengthen the muscle and tendon.
Rarely, a child will have truly rigid flat feet, a condition that can cause problems. These children have difficulty moving the foot up and down or side to side at the ankle. The rigid foot can cause pain and, if left untreated, can lead to arthritis. This rigid type of flat foot is seldom seen in an infant or very young child. More often, rigid flat feet develop during the teenage years should be evaluated by your child’s GP, a podiatrist or physiotherapist.
Symptoms that should be checked by a medical professional include foot pain, sores or pressure areas on the inner side of the foot, a stiff foot, limited side-to-side foot motion, or limited up-and-down ankle motion.
Click here for more information on flat feet in children for parents and carers.
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