Flat foot: when it needs treatment, and how
Most flexible flat feet in children need no intervention. This article explains the warning signs and the role of foot orthoses.
Young children normally have a low arch, which develops gradually until about age 6–10. A flexible, pain-free flat foot in a child is therefore usually normal and only needs monitoring.
Seek assessment when there is: foot or leg pain, quick fatigue and reluctance to walk, a clearly deviated gait, markedly uneven shoe wear, or a rigid flat foot that does not form an arch on tip-toe.
Foot orthoses are indicated when there are symptoms. They have a rigid shell supporting the longitudinal arch, heel posting to correct alignment and a cushioned cover, moulded from a neutral-position impression.
In adults, orthoses control pain and slow progression of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction; for conditions such as Morton's neuroma or Müller-Weiss syndrome the design offloads the affected area.
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