What is flat feet

Flat feet are very common in our lives. Many people do not take timely preventive measures for some problems that are prone to occur in the feet, which can easily cause the occurrence of flat feet. Flat feet are already a very common type of foot problem. There are many reasons for its formation, such as genetic factors and congenital foot bone deformities. Let us now understand what flat feet are.

Flat feet are a very common type of foot disease. I believe some people don’t know what flat feet are. Flat feet can be congenital or acquired. Prevention of this flat foot disease is very important, especially in infancy.

1. Genetic factors: Surveys and studies have found that if parents have flat feet, their children will have a higher risk of the disease than other children. Genetic factors play an important role in the onset of flat feet, which is generally inherited through genes.

2. Congenital foot bone deformities: such as abnormal position and shape of the navicular bone, abnormalities of the metatarsal bones and calcaneus, etc., which will affect the normal structure of the foot. The medial common arch of the foot is composed of the calcaneus, navicular bone, talus and the medial 1st to 3rd metatarsal bones. It has good elasticity and is suitable for jumping and shock absorption. The lateral arch of the foot is composed of the calcaneus, cuboid bone and the 4th and 5th metatarsal bones, and is mainly related to the maintenance of an upright weight-bearing posture. Congenital foot bone deformities can lead to abnormal arch structure, collapse or loss of elasticity of the arch, and cause flat feet.

3. Foot trauma or chronic strain: Foot trauma can cause fractures of the foot bones, destroy the normal structure of the foot, lead to abnormalities in the lateral arch of the foot, and then induce flat feet; long-term excessive load on the foot, or long-term standing work, can cause chronic strain on the soft tissues and joints of the foot, which can induce flat feet.

4. Abnormalities of the foot muscles: such as abnormal insertion points of the tibialis anterior and peroneus muscles, soft medial and lateral foot muscles, etc. These factors cause imbalance in muscle and ligament force when the foot bears weight, which will induce flat feet over a long period of time.

Flat feet or flat feet, commonly known as big feet, are people with this condition who have low soles or no soles. In severe cases, the pain may affect their walking. Flat feet usually develop in adolescence, and clinically include several types, including adolescent type, adult-acquired type, reducible or flexible, and rigid type.

Flat feet are soft and recoverable at the beginning, which means that the appearance of the feet is normal when not walking. Therefore, many people do not know that they have flat feet. However, once they stand up and put their feet on the ground and exert force, the arch or sole of the foot disappears. This situation may have no obvious symptoms, or the feet and calves may get tired easily, especially when walking long distances, which is different from normal people. Of course, there are also cases where the pain is more severe, so that they cannot participate in sports activities, and their feet are painful and swollen, but the pain can be relieved after rest. If the above situation is not corrected and treated in time, it is easy to undergo qualitative changes after many years or in adulthood, and form rigid flat feet. At this time, the pain will become more severe, the shape of the foot will remain unchanged, and even obvious disability will occur, seriously affecting normal walking and normal life.

The feet are like the foundation of a high-rise building. If the foundation is unstable and collapses, the building will definitely be a dangerous building. Similarly, serious foot diseases can cause leg pain, hip pain, lumbar pain, cervical pain, and even cause problems with the internal organs of the chest and abdominal cavity. Therefore, foot diseases cannot be ignored, especially serious diseases like flat feet that will accompany you for a lifetime.

The treatment of flat feet can be divided into several methods according to the stage of onset, such as observation and follow-up, orthopedic shoes or orthopedic insoles, plaster fixation, and surgical treatment. Among them, adolescent flat feet are mostly treated through observation and follow-up, because the arch of the child’s foot is not fully developed until the age of 7 to 10 years old.

Now everyone should have a deeper understanding of what flat feet are. Flat feet have a great impact on our lives, and this disease is hereditary. If parents have flat feet, their children will also have a high chance of developing it. It is important to prevent the occurrence of flat feet in time. Do not let children walk too early or stand for too long.