Pain or discomfort in the foot, leg, or lower back.The most common symptom is pain felt in the arch, heel, foot, and ankle. However, this is not the case for all patients. SymptomsĪ large number of people with flat feet may not experience any pain or symptoms and will not need treatment. Other causes can include heredity, tight tendons, arthritis, diabetes, excess weight, overuse, strain, and age. Injury and trauma can also cause abnormalities in the tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the foot and ankle, resulting in a flat foot. People with severely overpronated feet are predisposed to developing a rigid flat foot. Flat feet are common in young children, but as their body grows, the arch and the muscles supporting it strengthen and will become a normal arch by adulthood. Many patients who have a flat foot were born with a flexible flat foot that didn’t fully develop with age. A rigid flat foot means that the arch is flat while supporting weight and also when relaxed. A flexible flat foot means the arches give way when the foot supports the body but regains an arch once the foot is relaxed. There are two general types of flat feet, flexible and rigid. This is known as pronation, and the degree of pronation varies from patient to patient. Most people have a degree of arch support in the foot that acts like a shock absorber while walking or standing. The lack of an arch characterizes a flat foot, meaning the arches have collapsed, and the entire sole touches the floor while standing or walking. It can occur on one foot or both and develop from a variety of causes. Plus, the resulting orthotics are especially great for athletes, since they’re extremely light and comfortable, and even come in several sport-specific varieties (such as running and soccer).īeyond shoes and orthotics, if you’re already experiencing a lot of painful side effects from your flat feet (such as plantar fasciitis), we can also provide several additional conservative treatment options, such as laser therapy or perinatal injections.Flat feet, also referred to as overpronated feet or fallen arches is a common postural deformity with various degrees of physical impact. This advanced approach is a huge leap forward in orthotics technology, and is capable of providing much more personalized and effective orthotics than the traditional plaster mold or foam box approaches. At Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists, we use FitStation digital scanning and pressure plate technology to capture the precise shape, movement, and function of your feet, then send that data to a lab that 3D-prints your orthotics exactly to spec. The right pair can help you counteract your natural overpronation and achieve greater stability.Īthletes with flat feet also often benefit from arch supports or, when necessary, custom orthotic inserts designed to fit their precise foot shape. Look for those with extra stability, motion control, and arch support. The great news is that, quite often, your situation can be greatly improved through completely non-surgical measures. If you have flat feet and play sports, or you’ve started to feel like you’re being held back by chronic pain, instability, or other foot or ankle concerns, give us a call for an evaluation. While these skills aren’t necessarily impossible to perform at a high level with flat feet, their potential may be somewhat limited due to the extra work your body must perform to overcome the biomechanical inefficiency. Many sports require exceptional balance, speed, agility, and the ability to change directions quickly. There’s also the potential that flat feet can have an impact on overall athletic performance. Fatigue throughout the foot, arches, and legs.But for others, the biomechanical inefficiencies introduced by overpronation can lead to a greater risk of problems such as: This increases the amount of stress, pressure, and strain on the inside of the foot and ankle.Īs we said above, for some people there are no discernable symptoms from flat feet, and it doesn’t hold them back in any way that’s noticeable or impairs their personal enjoyment of activities. This allows the impact forces to be distributed over a wider region of the foot and over a longer period of time, reducing the strain on muscles, bones, and joints throughout the feet and legs.įlat feet, on the other hand, tend to be hyper-flexible and prone to overpronation, or rolling farther inward than normal. When bearing weight during the loading phase, the arch flexes slightly and rolls slightly inward (which is called pronation). The arch acts sort of like a shock absorber for your feet. It helps to start out by understanding what a healthy arch does.
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