Flat feet: symptoms, causes and treatment

Legs are one of the most important parts of our body. All the main load falls on them. It is important to monitor the health of the legs, while noticing everything that happens to them. The topic of this article is flat feet. Why does it arise, how to recognize it and how to treat this imperfection.

Symptoms of flat feet

It is not difficult to recognize this disease. Among his symptoms are such as:

• pain radiating to the feet, knees, hips or back;
• migraine;
• discoloration of the skin of the foot;
• it is difficult to maintain balance while squatting;
• fatigue after physical activity and at the end of the day;
• especially strong trampling of shoes from the inside;
• it is easier for a person to bend the body than to sit down;
• periodic cramps of the calf muscles;
• clubfoot gait;
• often ingrown toenails on the thumb;
• posture problems;
• due to the lengthening of the foot, old shoes become small;
• change in the shape of the foot - bulging of the bone, irregular proportions of the calves, fingers or lower leg.

If you find yourself with some of the signs of this disease, do not waste time - see your doctor. You will be assigned a full examination, collected tests and x-rays. Flat feet are capable of fairly spoil life, because it distorts the gait, creates discomfort when moving. Launched flat feet can lead to deformation of the core of the body - the spine. Which, in turn, threatens the further development of osteoporosis.

Causes of flat feet

The development of flat feet directly depends on its origin. Among the causes of foot deformity are the following:

1. Congenital pathology. A rather rare case, it occurs in about 3 people out of 100. It is caused by an insufficient amount of connective tissue, a violation of the location of the bones. This is difficult to identify, since up to 6 years of age, all children have signs of a flat foot on their face.
2. Injuries to the ankle, ankle, heel, or soft tissue that support the arches of the foot.
3. Past diseases that affect bones and joints - polio, stroke.
4. As a result of rickets (lack of vitamin D) muscle weakening, softening and deformation of bones occur.
5. Weak ligamentous and muscular apparatus. The most common cause of the disease. Factors affecting this:

• overweight;
• neglect of sports;
• wearing uncomfortable shoes with very high heels;
• a lot of time spent on your feet;
• age features - in children, the ligaments are not strong enough, in the elderly, muscle dystrophy occurs.

The main percentage of cases of the disease is formed precisely in childhood. Be attentive to your child, do not miss scheduled visits to the orthopedist. It is also recommended to wear orthopedic shoes or at least insoles until the baby reaches 7 years of age.

Types of flat feet

The typology of the disease directly depends on the factors that led to the occurrence of the problem. Orthopedic surgeons distinguish the following types of diseases:

• congenital flat feet, developmental pathologies inside the womb;
• statistical appearance, muscle weakening due to overload of the legs or heredity;
• rickety, as a consequence of a previous illness;
• traumatic flat feet occurs after injuries - fractures or ruptures of the ligaments;
• paralytic type, muscle paralysis.

Degrees of flat feet

Like any other disease, flat feet have their own stages of development. Stages of foot deformation:

1. Early. There are no pronounced symptoms, bones are not deformed. But the ligaments are already beginning to stretch, which leads to pain. As a rule, discomfort is felt precisely after exertion, long walking. To alleviate the condition, you just need to give your legs a rest.
2. The first stage, early flat feet. Heaviness at the end of the day, occasional slight swelling. Pain on palpation of the feet.
3. The second stage is combined. The shape of the foot is distorted, a clear plane is formed instead of the arch. It becomes difficult to walk, pain sensations arise more and more often.
4. The third stage, directly flat feet. It is accompanied by severe pain in the lumbar spine, migraines. Difficulty moving, even walking. It is difficult to perform the usual simple actions, sport brings severe torment. There is a clear change in the shape of the foot, calluses appear, fingers are bent. You can reduce discomfort by wearing orthopedic shoes.

Flatfoot treatment

Many people mistakenly consider flat feet to be a completely harmless feature of the body. While this is a very cunning and insidious ailment that quickly enough flows into serious forms. This pathology lends itself to complete cure only in childhood, later it cannot be eliminated.

It is very important to find the “enemy” as early as possible. At the initial stages of the disease, physical therapy therapy is possible to strengthen the muscles and ligaments. Exercise should be done every day. The program is developed by an orthopedist individually, based on the form of the disease, stage and age of the patient.

In addition, physiotherapy and medications are used to relieve pain. It is also recommended to use therapeutic massage to stimulate blood circulation and relaxing baths.

List of stages of the disease and doctor's recommendations on them:

1. Pre-illness. For normal leg work, you need to give them rest and walk correctly. It is not necessary to breed socks, this is how clubfoot is formed.
2. Initial stage. You should also relax your muscles more often.
3. Combined, with this type of disease, it is necessary to wear orthopedic shoes and not burden the legs.
4. Severe stage, corrected only with surgical intervention.

Prevention of flat feet

As mentioned above, flat feet begin to develop in childhood. To prevent complications, you must follow these simple rules:

• Let your baby walk barefoot as often as possible.
• Until a year, you should not put any slippers or sneakers on your child. The best shoes at this age are wool booties.
• Do not burden your child with sports. Only feasible loads, which are enough for development.
• Regularly massage legs to the baby and do light gymnastics.
• Exercise to strengthen your tendons every day. Walking on toes and heels, picking up sticks with your toes.
• Buy only high-quality shoes for your child.

Proper footwear should:

• be in size, with a small margin of 1-1.5 cm;
• do not squeeze the foot, but also sit tight;
• minimum of internal seams;
• be made from quality natural materials;
• have a high hard back;
• have a non-slippery sole;
• have a heel no more than 1.5 cm;
• under 2 years old, it is unacceptable to wear shoes with an instep support.