Flatfoot and its effect on your body

LIFESTYLE NEWS - Exercise is one of the ways to improve your physical wellbeing and it aids in great measure to get rid of ailments, aches and pains. Follow the exercise programme provided by the biokineticists at Anine van der Westhuizen Biokineticist in George and feel the difference. This week biokineticist Megan van Huyssteen talks about flat feet and the effect it has on your body.

Flat feet (Pes planus) are a postural deformity relating to the collapse or flattening of the medial arch. It can also be referred to as hyperpronation or overpronation. It results in the mid-foot region pronating towards the ground, and in some cases touching the ground completely. The result is that there is no arch to the foot. Flatfoot is a common disorder. It is a complex deformity, and there are different types and stages that are accompanied by varied degrees of symptoms and disability.

The different types
There are two general types of flatfoot: flexible flatfoot and rigid flatfoot. If a person's foot has an arch while he / she is sitting or standing on his / her toes, but the arch disappears when they stand with the entire foot on the ground, they have flexible flatfoot. If there is no arch, whether sitting or standing, they have a "rigid" or "true" flatfoot.

Flexible flatfoot is sometimes called "pediatric flatfoot" because it is first apparent in childhood. Congenital or rigid "true flatfoot" (talipes planovalgus) is much less common in children.

Flatfoot does not necessarily cause symptoms, but if there are symptoms, it includes pain that may be in the inside arch, heel, or ankle and on the outside of the foot just below the ankle. Flattening of the arch can lead to rolling in of the foot and ankle and tilting outward of the heel.

Flatfoot can also cause:

Plantar fasciitis
Medial tibial stress syndrome or "shin splints"
Achilles tendinopathy
Aching of the knee, hip, and / or lower back.

Flat feet are caused by a loss of active support (e.g. intrinsic foot and ankle stabilisers) or passive support (ligamentous laxity, hypermobile joints) during dynamic weight-bearing activities.

Muscular insufficiency in the ankle and arch stabilisers are the most common cause for flat feet. If your arch stabilisers are performing sub-optimally, the arch slowly pronates and flattens towards the ground when weight and force are applied down through the foot.

Ways to correct flatfoot arches: