What are Flat Feet?
By definition, flat feet (fallen arches) is a condition when the entire sole of your foot presses to the ground. In essence, you do not have an arch in your foot. It should be noted that is s relatively common in ten to twenty percent of the population.
The Causes of Flat Feet
Flat feet is a natural situation in infants, who typically develop an arch throughout childhood. When one reaches adulthood, flat feet can be a result of an arch never fully developing through childhood. However, if developed by adulthood, flat feet generally remain flat permanently. In addition, flat feet can also occur in pregnant women as a result of temporary changes, due to increased elastin (elasticity) during pregnancy.
Other causes of flat feet can occur due to an injury, the overall stress of aging, wear and tear on feet as well as rheumatoid arthritis. This is most common in woman over 40 years of age. Known risk factors include obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Flat feet can sometimes cause problems in your ankles and knees because the condition can force your ankles to turn inward and this throws off the alignment of your legs. If you aren’t experiencing any pain, no treatment is usually necessary for flatfeet.
Possibly the biggest risk to having flat feet is a chance of heel and ankle pain resulting from walking inwardly as the ankles of a flat-footed person naturally move more inwardly when walking than feet with a natural arch. Other risks include weakened muscles in the feet.
Treatments for Flat Feet
- Barefoot walking or running especially on a beach.
- Standing as often as possible
- Ensuring you are wearing the proper footwear for the activity you are participating in.
- Stretching exercises if the cause is tight heel ligaments. (recommended by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society)
- Under-arch pads inside shoes. (orthotics)
What tips do you have will someone who has flat feet?