Learn about flat foot syndrome

The article was consulted with Dr. Nguyen Hung Tien - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Flat feet with flat soles are a common deformity in the world. This malformation causes serious damage to the spinal nerves and affects the child's later development. Examining flat feet to detect disease early makes the rehabilitation of the foot simpler.

Flat feet are flat soles, not concave at all. Some chubby babies are also easily confused with flat feet. This deformity in most children will go away on its own by the age of 6 if the feet are well-functioning and soft.
In fact, all babies have unarched, non-concave feet aka flat feet. When children reach the age of 2 to 3, the arch of the foot will be formed along with the ligament system.
The arch of the foot will help us to bear the force, balance, walk gently, help reduce the reaction from the ground to bounce back when the foot moves. Usually, people with too loose ligaments will be prone to flat feet, the bones in the feet are not fixed well, and when the feet walk on sand or print ink on the paper, there will be no defects. like a regular footprint.

People with flat feet when walking, the inner edge of the foot (arch) tends to press against the ground, causing the foot to be deformed in the long run. When running and jumping, people with flat feet are easy to fall because the feet are not flexible enough, when they touch the ground, the heels will be crooked at the same time, the feet will fall inward, causing the ankle joints to be affected, the impact is not good. to the ability to run.
In addition, flat feet cause the bones in the shins to rotate when walking, running and jumping, causing the knee joints to rotate and deviate, thereby leading to pain, inflammation or even premature knee degeneration.
Body axis deviation can also affect the back and neck. The problem of flat feet, if not treated early, can lead to structural abnormalities in the big toe, causing the big toe to be pushed towards the next toe, causing heel spurs, plantar fasciitis ...

Flat feet syndrome is often caused by the habit of walking barefoot, wearing sandals or flat-soled sandals from an early age. Some children have the soft joint gene in their feet and may also develop flat feet. This is a genetic defect because in many families, both parents and children have flat feet.
Fractures, certain medical conditions such as rheumatism or neurological diseases, obesity, diabetes, the elderly and pregnancy are all factors that increase the risk of flat feet.
Statistics show that about 30% of the population suffers from flat feet depending on the grade, with or without stretching or tearing of the posterior cruciate tendon. Initially, flat feet do not cause pain, at a time when the skeleton is not strong enough to withstand the imbalance, the patient will have ankle pain, knee pain, hip or low back pain.

Usually children under 2 years of age have symptoms of flat feet, but from 3 years old and up, the arches of the feet will begin to form, so parents can start checking their children when the child is 3 years old, by:
Method 1: Wet the child's feet (white water or colored water is more obvious), then ask the child to place the foot to print on a blank sheet of paper, card or tile in the yard. so you can clearly see the footprints. If the impression of the whole foot is seen on the printed surface, it is likely that the child has flat feet. However, if the printed part has a small gap in the shape of a curved arch, parents can rest assured.
Method 2: Let the child step on the sand, if the quicksand and prints the foot has a curve, the child's foot is normal and vice versa, if the child can print the whole foot in the sand, the child may have flat feet. .
Method 3: Use your parents' fingers directly to put them under the child's soles when the child is standing on a flat surface, if the parents' fingers can't get into the child's sole, the child may have an infection. flat foot disease.

Parents should take their children to the doctor if they detect specific symptoms such as the child's tendency to press the inner side of the foot to the ground. The best treatment for flat feet is when the child is between the ages of 2 and 7 years old.
If detected early, non-surgical treatment with medical orthopedic shoe soles will be a simple and effective solution to correct flatfoot in children. This is a specially designed insole that is measured on each child's foot, which helps to arch and support the foot, helping the bones and joints to return to the correct axis.
This orthopedic insole can be lined under most common children's footwear and is recommended for regular use during daily walking activities, whenever a child's feet are subjected to stress. Wearing orthopedic shoes regularly, the foot structure of children 2-7 years old can return to the desired balance position.
From this period until the child reaches 12 years of age, arching has a lower improvement effect and the orthopedic insole wear time is also longer. In adults, the use of orthopedic insoles only works to prevent joint pain, osteoarthritis ... but can not create arches anymore and patients need to wear orthopedic insoles for life.

Surgery is not necessary for children under 8 years of age and the deformity is less severe. However, in rare cases, surgery is still required for children over 8 years old, when the child enters the period of rapid growth and the formation of the Achilles tendon is shorter than usual.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.