Is Flat Feet Causing Knee Pain to Your Kid?

As a postural deformity, flat feet make a kid’s feet press flat on the ground.  As it collapses the arch of the feet, the kid’s body weight is distributed unevenly. Hence, the deformity places persistent stress on the kid’s feet, ankle, or knees. The common symptoms of flat feet are knee pain and inflation of the Achilles tendon.

Your kid may experience knee pain due to a flexible flat foot or rigid flat foot. You have to identify the type of flat foot by observing the kid’s foot arches in a number of positions – placing the feet on the bed, standing on tiptoes and curling the toes. The kid has a flexible flat foot if his foot arches reappear in these conditions.

On the other hand, the kid has a rigid flat foot if his foot arches do not reappear in these positions. It is always important to get the flat feet diagnosed by a skilled orthopedic instead of performing self-diagnosis. The orthopedic will identify the underlying cause of the postural deformity by performing a visual examination and imaging tests. Also, the professional will decide the best way to treat flat feet based on the test results.

The Process on Flat Feet Diagnosis

The orthopaedic surgeons diagnose flat feet by observing the kid’s feet in various positions when he is standing. They also diagnose the postural deformity by performing a slew of visual examinations – wet footprint, shoe inspection, tiptoe, and additional toes. These visual examinations help the orthopaedic to observe your kid’s feet from varying angles and detect if he is having rigid flat feet or flexible flat feet.

The doctors often recommend imaging tests if the kid is experiencing excessive foot pain. The imaging tests help the orthopaedic surgeon to identify the type and underlying causes of flat feet accurately. The orthopaedic can diagnose flat feet based on x-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound results. Some orthopaedic even decide the best way to treat flat feet by combining both visual examinations and imaging tests.

The Process of Flat Feet Treatment

The orthopaedic find it easier to treat flat feet when the postural deformity is diagnosed early. Sometimes delay in diagnosis and treatment causes irreversible damage to the kid’s feet. The skilled orthopaedic treats flexible flat feet and rigid flat feet treatment differently. They even try to treat flat feet without performing any surgery.

Initially, they make the kid wear supporting shoes, perform stretching exercises, or undergo physical therapy. They minimize knee pain by providing the kid with custom designed arch supports. But orthopaedics needs to perform surgery if the initial treatment fails. They perform surgery to correct the postural deformity permanently.

Your kid may experience knee pain due to either flexible flat feet or rigid flat feet. The symptoms and causes of flat foot differ from one child to another. You must get the postural deformity diagnosed and treated by a skilled orthopaedic to alleviate the knee pain quickly and permanently. However, it is always important to get the kid’s flat feet treated by the right medical practitioner.