by Matthew H. Paden, DPM
"Hi, this is Dr. Matthew Paden for Rocky Mountain Foot and Ankle Center. Today we’re going to talk about flat feet. What are flat feet? The foot is a very complex structure and you can have, quote, ‘the normal foot’ (whatever that is), you can have a flat foot, and you can have a high arched foot.
A flat foot is a condition that is quite broad, meaning there can be benign flat feet or pathologic flat feet. Benign flat feet are often asymptomatic. People can walk around and do all the things they want to do and never have any problem. When they walk across a concrete path with bare feet, after they’ve been in a swimming pool, you see the entire foot, as opposed to someone who has a very high arch, when you just see the ball of the foot and the heel.
With moderate flat feet, people can develop some other problems, such as very tired feet, we call, fatigue, and some people can develop other problems such as plantar fasciitis, which is the most common cause of heel pain. Flat feet can also be related to bunion deformities and other toe deformities.
Often when people are having painful feet related to the flat foot, it can be easily treated with an orthotic. An orthotic is a custom arch support that is designed to help support the individual’s foot, in what we call ‘neutral position’. This often gives people great relief throughout the day. There are other flatfoot conditions that are much more serious that often require surgical intervention.
If you have a flat foot and there’s pain associated with it, please come see us at Rocky Mountain Foot and Ankle Center so that we can evaluate it and get you on the path to feeling better. Thank you."
