Newport Clinic
Floor 2 ( Room/Office No 7 ) Newport Market NP20 1DD
Tel: 075636 56666
OUT OF HOURS - 0800 074 3040 COLLECTIONS - 0800 074 3050 HOME VISITS - 029 2009 0089
Appointments: Monday - Friday 8.30 am - 7pm Saturday 8:30 am - 2 pm Sunday by request only
Care you can rely on
40 years of
5 STAR TREATMENTS
Repairing Flat Feet
Arching Your Fallen Arches
Structural Flat Feet, are sometimes referred to as fallen arches. On most feet, there is a natural curve which prevents the entire foot from touching the ground. This isn’t the case for someone who has flat feet. Up to the whole bottom of the foot is in contact with the ground. There are nceactually a few benefits to this but they are often outweighed by the negative effects.
For one thing, the alignment of your foot is off. Feet are very tough, but also surprisingly fragile and well-balanced. Mis-aligned balance leads to stress and pressure in other areas, think of how you compensate when you injure your ankle, and this can lead to long-term difficulties with your feet, ankles, knees, legs- and even your back.
Feet are also definitely not all created equal. Structural Flat Foot deformities can be dominated by particular joints; the mid-foot joint may collapse down or point outwards, your heels may roll in (often called over-pronation), etc.
Also, you can have a flexible flat foot that undergoes a lot of motion with a dramatic difference in arch height between sitting and weight bearing, or you can have a more rigid flatfoot, which is essentially flat all the time. These variations of flat feet can have dramatically different effects of your foot and rest of the body, and need to be carefully evaluated.
Several options for flat foot repair are available and luckily there are several options available for people with flat feet. They include:
● Custom Orthotics - Bespoke shoe inserts can help to correct some cases of flat feet
● Braces in some kinds of flat feet
● Physical therapy can sometimes help strengthen the foot and muscles acting on the foot
● Different kinds of shoe wear
At Soft Soles Podiatry, we make sure that we go through every option to find the flatfoot repair choice that works best for your specific situation. If you are suffering from flat feet and looking at options for flatfoot repair, please come in and see the dedicated staff at Soft Soles Podiatry
Do the Wet Test
Arching Your Fallen Arches
Rigid fallen arches are usually easy to distinguish from the flexible variety by the pain they cause, but there is a simple test that you can perform if you are not sure.
You should stand on your toes, and if the arch appears, the condition is known as flexible flat foot and is nothing to worry about. There have been Olympic runners with Structural Flat Foot of this kind. On the other hand, if the foot remains flat on the bottom when you stands on your toes, the condition is rigid, and you should consult our podiatrists. The same is true if you notices any change in the arches of your feet or if you have foot pain, whether or not this test suggests you has flexible flat feet.
Different Types of Flat Feet
A normal foot has an apparent arch while non-weigh bearing (sitting, lying) and also when they are weight bearing (standing, walking, running). There are two types of flat feet, rigid flat feet (RFF) and flexible flat feet (FFF).
An individual with RFF has no arch at any time – weigh or non-weight bearing. RFF is usually caused by some underlying pathology. A condition called tarsal coalition is the most common reason for RFF and occurs when two or more of the seven tarsal (foot) bones fuse together. Trauma, infection, and neuromuscular and autoimmune disorders (such as Rheumatoid Arthritis) can also result in RFF.
An individual with an arch non-weight bearing which fatigues or collapses when they stand or the foot is stressed is said to have FFF. FFF is most often due to ligament laxity (the ligaments connecting the bones together have weakened) or due to muscle or tendon weakness. The tibialis posterior muscle has a major impact on the medial longitudinal arch as it provides much of its support. Therefore, a problem with this muscle can result in FFF as well as other problems associated with tibialis posterior dysfunction – shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and injuries associated with overpronation.