KEEPING ACTIVE

For most of us keeping active is the norm and we don't give our feet a second thought.  We forget just how much of a pounding our feet go through each day when we take literally thousands and thousands of steps.  Form any patients with flat feet however the picture can be very different.

 

FLAT FEET

For many patients  flat feet don’t cause pain but for those with certain types of flat feet  they may suffer pain not only in their feet but also further up the body in their legs, knees, hips and back.

 

Without realising many people in this situation find this leads to a gradual  reduction in their activity levels and reduced lifestyle.

 

TYPES OF FLAT FEET

Before we can begin to work out how to fix your feet and in turn fix the secondary aches and pains we first have to find out why you have flat feet in the first place.  The most common type of flat foot is the "flexible flat foot"  and this is what we will focus on here.

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UNDERSTANDING HOW THE FOOT IS DESIGNED

Most people are amazed to learn that each of your feet has approximately twenty-six bones so your feet make up  about a  quarter of all bones in the body.  These bones are normally so well aligned that they require very little external support; a bit like one of those stone bridges.  However when these bones fall out of alignment large amounts of stress and strain are placed on the tendons and ligament. This is also referred to as over-pronation or hyperpronation.  A key point is that because the leg is connected to the foot via the ankle bone, mal-alignment of the foot can cause problems further up the body.

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WHY IS FOOT MISALIGNMENT A PROBLEM? 

Left untreated, foot misalignment leads to flat feet pain and issues with the foot such as plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, bunions, and hammertoes, among others. Further complications lead to an internal rotation of the leg, which then leads to a twisting in the knee and causes the hip to pull away from the pelvis leading to extra pressure on the spine. All of this from foot misalignment!

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CAN FOOT MISALIGNMENT BE TREATED EASILY?

Many types of treatment are available for flat feet . These include orthotics which can support the foot from the outside through to surgical procedures to provide more internal stability of the foot.   One of the least invasive types of treatment is called the Hyprocure which acts like and internal orthotic.  You can find out more about this procedure by clicking here.

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