If you’ve read about the negative effects of flat feet, no doubt you are worried when you noticed that your young child or baby has no foot arch whatsoever.
Some of the potential negative side-effects of flat feet in adults include:
- Painful, swollen feet
- Pain in your leg or ankle
- Rigid or overly stiff feet
- Inability to stand on your toes
- Uneven feet arches
But, is your child doomed to struggle with their foot health for the rest of their lives?
Are Flat Feet in Children Normal?
The answer to the above question is a resounding yes! Some people are surprised to hear that all babies are born with flat feet.
Flat feet in children is absolutely normal. Foot arches slowly develop as your child develops their foot muscles and their soft tissues slowly stiffen.
A study from the National Library of Medicine finds that up to 44% of children aged 3-6 years have flat feet.
In fact, foot arches continue to develop up until about the age of 9.
When Flat Feet Are a Cause For Worry
If your child still has flat feet and they are older than 8 or 9 years old, you might want to start paying attention to these four questions:
- Is your child overweight?
- Does your child wear low-quality footwear?
- Is your child active?
- Does your child experience foot pain?
If your child experiences pain due to flat feet, it can present itself in the heel area, arch area, or as general pain in the foot. If your child is overweight, has improper footwear, or is relatively inactive, these things could be contributing to their condition and should be addressed.
When to Take Action Regarding Your Child’s Flat Feet
If your child has flat foot arches, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything needs to be done about it. Flat feet can be categorized in one of two ways:
- Symptomatic
- Asymptomatic
If your child has asymptomatic flat feet, nothing may need to be done. Moreover, nonsurgical intervention has recently been called into question in terms of efficacy by recent studies.
So, if your child is unbothered by the shape of their feet and is experiencing no pain, nothing may need to be done.
However, if flat feet are causing a decrease in quality of life for your child, there are a number of actions that can be taken — one of which being surgical correction of flat feet.
First, however, you should speak to a professional podiatrist in your area, like our podiatrists in Fresno, Ca, regarding your child’s foot health. Then, you should eliminate other negatively contributing factors such as obesity, inactivity, and improper footwear.
If you have any more questions regarding flat feet in children, please reach out to us.