Prevention of pain due to flat feet should be the exception, not the norm.
Flat feet is a common foot abnormality caused by loose tendons. This condition is observed in 25% of the world. Most people with flat feet do not experience serious problems associated with this condition. Unfortunately, for some, it can cause foot pain as well as the following:
- Knee pain
- Medial tibial stress syndrome
- Achilles tendinitis
- Plantar fasciitis
Some people who have good foot arches develop flat feet due to aging, injury or illness, which damages the tendons in the foot.
How to Tell If You Have Flat Feet?
If you have foot pain, you need to make sure if it is related to flat feet. If you find out that you are not flatfooted, you can eliminate this option from your mind, or if you are flatfooted, you can work on the condition.
The following tests can help you determine if you have flat feet.
Footprint Test
The next time you get out of the swimming pool, look at your footprint on the concrete.
If you have a normal or high arches, the front part of the foot, the root of the toes and the toes are connected to the heel by an instep part that is not so wide and close to the outer edge of your foot. With a normal arch, the instep part is half the width of the front part of the foot. If you have a high arched foot, the instep part should be a very thin band that connects the front of the foot with the heel.
If you have flat feet, the instep part is the same width as the front of the foot and creates a footprint that looks like an elongated pancake.
Shoe Test
Put the shoes on a flat table and look at them from behind at eye level. Check if the sole is evenly worn.
A flat sole will cause more wear inside the sole, especially in the heel area, and also cause wear that will make it easier for the shoe to swing from side to side. This discomfort will also cause the upper part of the shoe to bend inward over the sole.
Too many toes
Stand with your feet parallel. Have someone stand behind you and look at your feet from behind. If you are alone, you can lean your back against a mirror.
Normally, only the little toe should be visible from behind. If one foot is flatter than the other, sometimes you can also see your 4th and sometimes 3rd toe.
Tip Toes Test
Once you have decided whether one or both of your feet are flat feet, it is time to perform a toe test. This test will help to determine if you have flexible flat feet, which usually cause fewer problems, or not.
To perform the Tip Toes test, stand on your toes like a ballet dancer. If there is a visible arch, you have flexible flat feet.
Medical Tests
If you have determined that one or both of your feet are rigid, i.e., inflexible, your doctor may request a CT scan to examine the bones, an MRI scan to check your tendons, or an X-ray of your foot.
Treatments
If you are among the majority, you have flexible flat feet, you do not experience pain and you probably do not need medical treatment.
If you are among the minority and experience pain in your foot due to flat feet, you may need to take an over-the-counter painkiller, and if that doesn’t work, you may opt for surgery. However, the intervention may not relieve your pain and can cause some complications, including loss of ankle movement and bones fusing together during surgery, which sometimes does not heal surgically.
More About Sole ProblemsTo find foot and ankle treatment, you can contact with us.
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