Feet serve as the basement for your whole body’s weight. However, feet with any deviation, such as improper arches, can primarily affect physical activities.
What is a flat foot?
A foot having no minimal arch with a flattened structure is called a flat foot or fallen arch. It results in causing your whole foot’s sole to touch the ground while standing or walking.
An arch typically assists in supporting the foot by distributing the body weight among legs and feet. That is why the structure of the foot arch can affect the walking ability of a person.
Having a flat foot has become quite common nowadays. It may cause you pain, affecting your daily activities. However, it is not the same in every case. Some individuals may experience no pain nor problems. Thus, they do not need to struggle for treatment as they can live with their flat feet.
Fortunately, the flat foot is a treatable condition; even orthotics and exercising can help a lot.
Major Causes
People can have flat feet due to several reasons including, under-development, genetics, and daily factors. Tiny babies and toddlers have such feet as they are in the developmental stage. And their arches are still to get adequately shaped with time. However, it can also occur in adults due to several reasons like;
- Weak arches
- Injuries causing damage to your foot tissues
- Obesity- getting overweight
- Wear-and-tear of tendons or ligaments
Other medical ailments such as diabetes, cerebral palsy, down-syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis can also increase the chances of developing flat feet.
Obvious Symptoms
Not all types of flat feet cause you pain. Some are pretty obvious, while others can develop to a lower extent. It may show the following common symptoms other than discomfort:
- Muscle pain
- Leg cramps
- Painful walking
- Toe drift
- Stiffness
How do flat feet affect your overall health?
Flat feet either directly or indirectly affect the quality of your wellbeing as well as your life. It makes walking difficult with an increased risk of daily injuries. It can further lead to chronic pain and different foot problems like arthritis, bunions, plantar fasciitis and shin splints.
Overpronation
Having flat feet can cause your ankles to roll inwards while walking, causing pain in the foot and ankle. This condition is commonly known as overpronation. Although pronation occurs in normal individuals, people with flat feet encounter it more severely. It affects the overall stability and shock-absorbing capability of your body. With over-pronation, your foot’s front reduces the ability to function while walking. Hence, your toes become overstressed, resulting in distress.
Spinal Alignment
Feet play a crucial role in supporting body weight. Hence, they can primarily affect your body posture. People with flat feet also experience hip, knee, and lower back pain. It happens due to the improper spinal alignment caused by the weak foot posture. It affects the appearance of your body like your knees might bend inward, hips feel tilting in the forward direction. The lower back may have an exaggerated curve. Subsequently, it degrades the body posture, lowering self-confidence.
Plantar Fasciitis
Flat feet enhance the chances of overstretching of your feet muscles, causing plantar fasciitis. When the tendons get over-stressed, it causes too much pain and trouble. It eventually leads to severe heel pain and heels spurs.
Treatments & Preventions
A flat foot is a non-reversible condition. Whether it develops naturally or with time, it can not get cured completely. However, there are still techniques to help relieve the pain and related complications.
Several treatments can address flat feet, but it depends on the type of condition and its intensity. As flat feet typically occur because fallen arches lose strength, the following treatments can help you regain it.
- Physical Therapies – It helps strengthen your feet and ankles, improving movability.
- Orthotics – It is the most livable solution. It limits the degradation of your foot or body structure.
- Regular Exercise – It enhances your stamina.
- Healthy Nutrition – It keeps you fit, maintaining your lifestyle.
- Wearing a brace or splint – It supports your feet while walking, preventing complications.
- Having drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) – Relieves the foot pain caused due to various reasons.
Moreover, you can also opt for surgical treatments in severe cases. In case you or your loved one is encountering flat feet pain or symptoms. You must pay a visit to the doctor to identify the reasons and find out possible solutions.
Feetcare Treating Flat feet
Feetcare consists of professionals that play a crucial role in treating flat feet. We carefully examine your foot condition to provide solutions accordingly. Our qualified doctors may provide you with custom-designed, arch-supportive footwear. It will help relieve foot pain, minimizing the effect of flat feet.
If you are experiencing foot pain or facing any complications, you can visit us to get diagnosed and treated. We make careful decisions to provide you with long-term comfort for a healthy life.
