Understanding Flat Feet: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Flat feet refer to a condition in which your foot’s arch collapses. According to Dr. Gary Rogers of Wilmette Foot and Ankle Clinic - which serves the North Shore, Chicago, Wilmette, IL, certain individuals with flat feet are asymptomatic; however, some experience pain or discomfort, which can be helped with various podiatric treatment options.

Understanding Flat Feet: Causes

 Most people have a naturally formed arch along the inside of each foot that develops during childhood. This arch provides a spring-like mechanism that distributes your body’s weight evenly and also has shock-absorption capabilities that help when walking, running, and jumping. 

Your foot’s arch creates a defined space between your foot and the ground. Most people who have flat feet do so as a function of their physiology – they simply have a degree of flatness that falls along a defined spectrum. However, there are those with flat feet who have painful symptoms from abnormally shaped arches. The causes vary but can include the following - 

• They happen due to developmental or genetic issues. 
• A previous fracture in the heel region or related injury.
• The overstretching of a tendon in the foot as an adult, and more.

Understanding Flat Feet: Symptoms and Diagnosis

 Often, many people afflicted with flat feet experience few symptoms other than the apparent change in the arch height. 

However, a consequence of the condition can cause nearby tendons to stretch beyond normal ranges. As the foot’s arch continues to fall, the pain may radiate to the outside of the ankle, where tendons become trapped, and the heel begins to lift, causing the foot to turn outward. In advanced cases, the ankle joint becomes painful and even begins to wear unevenly.

Common symptoms of flat feet include –

• Pain or Stiffness which may be aggravated by physical activity – even standing.
• Swelling due to excessive strain on muscles supporting the foot’s arch.
• Difficulty walking on uneven surfaces. 
• Fatigue that can be felt in feet and legs.
• Callouses may form under the collapsed arch, or other deformities develop.
• The Achilles Tendon becomes tight.
• The affected foot’s movement may be somewhat impaired. 
• Lower limbs (knees/shins, etc.) may develop problems due to overpronation of the foot.
• Finding footwear can be difficult.

 There are effective podiatric treatments to manage the symptoms related to flat feet –

• OTC or Custom Orthotics.
• Therapeutic Exercises.
• Taping/Bracing.
• Medications.

 If necessary, surgery may offer symptom relief.

Contact a Leading North Shore, Chicago, and Wilmette, IL Podiatrist Today

 For more information on how we can help relieve the symptoms of flat feet, contact Dr. Rogers at Wilmette Foot and Ankle Clinic at 847-256-4434 or online.