Flat feet is a medical term that refers to a low or lessened arch on the bottom of the foot. This may sound strange, but flat feet are actually an incredibly common issue that affects up to 30% of the US population. Usually, flat feet won’t cause you any trouble in your day-to-day life, but the effects of flat feet can cause pain for 1 in 10 sufferers. This means flat feet can make participating in sports and hobbies a challenging experience, and even being on your feet for long periods of time can cause aches that only seem to get worse. If you think you might be flat-footed then don’t fear, there are a range of things you can do as a treatment for flat feet, that will help lessen the symptoms.
What Causes Flat Feet?
A common misconception about flat feet is that sufferers have no arch. People with flat feet do have an arch, but for one reason or another it has not fully developed or has lowered over time. A variety of things can bring on flat feet throughout the course of your life, but often it comes on in childhood, as a result of genetics. Genetic conditions that affect development such as down syndrome, can also cause flat feet.
When the arches of our feet develop, some people may grow a high arch, and some a lower arch, which can bring on flat feet later in life. When this happens, it is referred to as a ‘fallen arch’. Your chances of becoming flat-footed are increased if you suffer from other foot injuries, such as broken bones, arthritis, or Achilles’ Tendonitis. These conditions can cause you to alter the way in which you walk, lowering an arch over time. Other conditions that affect muscle tone, such as cerebral palsy and diabetes, can cause flat feet in adults. More commonly, rapidly gaining weight and becoming pregnant can place extra stress on the feet, causing a fallen arch.
Flat feet, and fallen arches in particular, can lead to other painful foot conditions such as Plantar Fasciitis. It’s always best to start treatment as soon as your flat feet begin to cause you issue
How to Identify Flat Feet
Fortunately, the symptoms of flat feet are very simple to identify. It’s easiest to tell if you have flat feet by standing up and placing a mirror next to your feet. From the side, especially the inner side of your foot, flat feet will cause the whole sole of your foot to touch the ground.
You may also be able to identify flat feet by looking at your ankles. Your ankle should form a straight line from the bottom of your calf to your heel. Suffering from flat feet long term can sometimes cause the ankle to curve slightly in compensation, and to help maintain your balance. A curved ankle is a sign that flat feet have caused some misalignment.
Finally, if you have aches or pains where your arch should be, or in your heel after walking or exercising, you might require treatment for flat feet. This pain comes on as a result of a combination of muscle strain, and extra stress placed on your ligaments. This is why flat feet can also have an effect on your legs, and cause aches in your calves and knees too.
How Can You Treat Flat Feet
Sometimes flat feet and fallen arches can be completely corrected. This is a possibility if your flat feet have come on as a result of heel injury, poor technique when exercising, or weight gain. Correcting flat feet is done with physical therapy, or very rarely, with surgery.
It’s always best to see your doctor if your flat feet are causing numbness or extreme pain in your feet, ankles, or legs, or if you find it hard to keep your balance while completing everyday activities. Oftentimes flat feet do not need medical attention, however, and can be treated safely and effectively from home.
Treatment for flat feet from home is very simple, and includes things such as choosing the correct footwear, and completing stretches before walking or exercising to prevent flat foot pain. The best treatment for pain from flat feet is orthotics, such as arch support, or insoles for flat feet. OrthoFlexx orthotics and insoles for flat feet are recommended by podiatrists, to help you take control of your foot pain.
What are Orthotics?
The term orthotics refers to a branch of medical treatment that uses external devices, such as splints or neck braces, to support or change the way our muscles or skeleton moves. In the case of flat feet treatment, orthotics refers to insoles, and shoe inserts.
OrthoFlexx orthotic insoles provide an affordable and easy solution to pain from flat feet, and one set of orthotic insoles can last up to a year.
When it comes to treating foot pain, there are three types of orthotic insoles: soft, semi-rigid, and rigid. Soft orthotic insoles provide cushioning, rigid shoe inserts offer stability and balance, and semi-rigid orthotics provide the best of both. The most common orthotics used for treating flat feet are semi-rigid. Semi-rigid insoles can adequately support your arch, while softening the impact on the soles of your feet.
Why are OrthoFlexx Orthotics the Best Treatment for Flat Feet?
While orthotics and arch support won't cure flatfeet, they greatly reduce the symptoms, allowing you the freedom to walk and exercise pain free.
1. OrthoFlexx orthotics for flat feet can help by supporting your arch and heel, which correctly aligns your foot. This benefit of flat feet orthotics helps to maintain your balance, and eliminates muscle aches.
2. Orthotic treatment for flat feet distributes pressure across the bottom of your feet, and absorbs any shock appropriately. This is why insoles for flat feet help to lessen pain when walking for long periods of time, or taking on high-impact exercise.
OrthoFlexx orthotic insole are specially structured to help support fallen arches, and eliminate pain from flat feet. The soft yet sturdy material is layered four times to provide the optimum arch support. They can be used in any shoe to support flat feet, and can be trimmed to size as needed.
Check out our orthotic insoles to help treat flat foot pain here, or if you’d like to talk to us about the best orthotic treatment for your flat feet, or foot pain issues, contact us at support@orthoflexx.com
REFERENCES
https://www.healthline.com/health/pes-planus
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flatfeet/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372609
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17005-flat-feet
https://patient.info/foot-care/heel-and-foot-pain-plantar-fasciitis/flat-feet-and-fallen-arches
https://www.dominionfootandankle.com/patient-resources/orthotics/
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