Flat feet in adults

What is flat feet?

Flat feet occur when the arch of the foot collapses. The entire foot is in contact with the floor since the arch that supports the leg has collapsed. Flat feet can be hereditary and can occur in children. When it is diagnosed in children, it can be corrected using special shoes that help raise the arch of the feet. 

Can flat feet occur in adults?

Flat feet can occur in adults because of injury or prolonged stress to the foot. This is called adult acquired flat footedness. If flat feet occur in an adult, it is due to the collapse of the arch and this acquired flat foot is permanent. The reason why flat feet occur often as people age is due to the usual and known risks like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Flat feet can sometimes occur in pregnant women but it is usually temporary. 

Symptoms that accompany AAFD

1. There may be pain along the posterior tendon of the tibia which is on the inside of the foot or ankle. There may be swelling around the ankles.

2. Collapse of the arch may cause a shift in the heel bone and this may put pressure on the fibula causing stress related pain and swelling.

3. People who gym regularly or jog will be unable to do so if their arch collapses. Any kind of high impact activity will be quite painful and in severe cases, people can have difficulty with normal walking.

4. Old injuries or the onset of arthritis may cause an arch collapse resulting in flat footedness

5. Diabetics could get flat feet and they should be extra careful as their illness may cause numbness in the extremities and the patient may not feel pain. 

How does an arch collapse happen?

AAFD is caused when the posterior tendon of the tibia is damaged. This tendon begins at the calf and goes along the inside of the leg and attaches to the bones of the feet. This tendon is responsible for holding the arch of your foot up. If this tendon gets injured, the arch of your foot will collapse. In people with arthritis or diabetes, the steady degeneration of the tendon will lead to an eventual collapse of the arch. 

Treating AAFD

There are special shoes and other orthotics to help in the treatment of flat feet. AAFD is permanent so there is no cure for it. But your podiatrist will be able to help you treat it and lessen the pain. Some helpful products that are available for flat feet are:

• For mild cases where the pain is not so severe, gel supports that conform to the contours of your foot and have a raised arch will help support your collapsed arch. These gel supports can be fitted into any kind of shoe and worn on a regular basis.
• For a more painful AAFD, the Orthofeet BioSole-Gel Self Forming Orthotics Sport is a self-forming arch-support that uses bladder construction, filled with polyurethane foam and viscoelastic gel and shapes dynamically to the contours of the foot without bottoming out.
• In severe cases, Aircast AirLift™ PTTD Brace offers foot support and ankle stabilization. Located under the foot arch is the aircell. This is adjustable with the Hand Bulb (included with the brace). When it is inflated, the aircell can accommodate variances in arch shapes and heights and can comfortably lift the foot arch to achieve a more natural foot position.

AAFD cannot be cured but a podiatrist will be able to help you deal effectively with the symptoms that it causes!

Foot pain exercises with orthotics

People will have some kind of foot problem at some point of their lives. Athletes injure themselves on a regular basis. Luckily, the medical technology to deal with foot problems has advanced to such a degree that people can get back to normal routines in no time at all. Some common problems that affect people are flat feet, neuropathy, shin splints, ankle sprains etc. A good combination of foot exercises and orthotics will help you overcome or combat your foot problems.

Flat Feet

When a person has flat feet, it means that the person does not have an arch that supports the foot. It can usually be identified early on in children and when treated then, it can go a long way in helping to mould the shape of the foot. There are special orthotic shoes available that come with a slight curve where the arch should be. This combined with a daily routine of simple foot exercise will slowly help the children develop an arch. If you are already an adult, using gel pads fixed inside your shoes helps alleviate foot pain due to flat feet. A physical therapist can recommend some foot exercises that will help with the flat footedness. 

Neuropathy

Neuropathy is symptomized by numbness in the extremities and is closely related to diabetes. Diabetics are prone to neuropathy. There are a number of precautions that one can take to deal with this foot problem. There are orthotic diabetic foot sleeves available that can cover the foot and keep it warm. There are soft sleeves as well as hard sleeves available and you can use them depending on the severity of your problem. There are advanced orthotic devices to help people who have progressed to more severe cases of neuropathy. The orthotics offer relief from pain, when moving about,

Shin splints

Shin splints can be very painful if left untreated for a long time. People, especially athletes tend to ignore the early warning signs of shin splints and go to a podiatrist only after the pain is unbearable. Orthotic shin supports made of light, durable material are available to give support to the leg. These orthotics are so comfortable that they can be worn in the nights too. Foot exercises that include stretching will help relieve pain and stiffness caused by shin splints.

Ankle sprains

When you sprain your ankle, the first thing to do is put an ice compress to bring down the swelling. Then it is a good idea to take an X-Ray, to make sure that it is a sprain and not a hairline fracture. There are various orthotics available to help deal with ankle sprains. There is hard orthotics that makes sure that your ankle has enough support when you do start walking. Softer orthotics can be used if it is a mild sprain. These orthotics are not permanent casts and can be taken off and put on easily and tightened to your comfort level. It is imperative to do foot exercises while recuperating as it helps your foot heal faster.

There are many other orthotic devices to help in foot problems that are more severe like fractures, tendonitis etc. Unlike earlier days where one has to have large and inconvenient plaster cast for fractures, many podiatrists these days prefer prescribing removable orthotics. This is particularly helpful when doing physiotherapy. You can remove the orthotics when doing your foot exercises and put them on after you are done. A podiatrist will be able to prescribe a foot treatment that includes orthotics and foot exercises to help recover swiftly.