Flat Foot

If you have flat feet, it means you have no visible foot arch when standing. In most cases, flatfoot, the condition’s medical name, causes no problems. However, it can cause foot pain or discomfort in other weight-bearing joints like your ankles and knees. The team of podiatrists at Pinnacle Foot & Ankle Clinics in Edina and Burnsville, Minnesota, provide expert flatfoot care. Call the office nearest you today or schedule an appointment online.

What is flatfoot?

Flatfoot is a condition in which you have no visible arch in your foot when you stand. The arch of your foot supports the weight of your body when standing, walking, running, or jumping and absorbs shock.

Everyone is born with flat feet. The arch develops around six years old. But some children never form an arch, or the arch falls later in life.

Most people with flatfoot have no problems. However, the condition can cause pain. If you have flatfoot that causes problems, the Pinnacle Foot & Ankle Clinics team can help.

What kinds of flatfoot are there?

There are many kinds of flatfoot. The podiatrists classify flatfoot based on how old you are when it sets in and how severe it is.

Flexible flatfoot

With flexible flatfoot, you have a visible arch when sitting that disappears when standing. This is the most common kind and usually develops in childhood or adolescence.

It shows up in both feet and gets worse with time, causing the tendons and ligaments in the arch to stretch and swell.

Rigid flatfoot

Rigid flatfoot means you have no visible arch when sitting or standing. This foot condition appears during adolescence and worsens with time, causing foot pain and inflexibility.

Adult-acquired flatfoot

Adult-acquired flatfoot, or fallen arches, happens when the arch in your foot collapses unexpectedly. Losing your arch causes your foot to turn outward, causing pain.

Vertical talus

Vertical talus is a foot abnormality you’re born with that prevents the arch from forming.

When should I seek podiatry care for flatfoot?

You should seek podiatry care for flatfoot when you have foot pain. Flatfoot can also cause ankle, knee, hip, or back pain.

The Pinnacle Foot & Ankle Clinics team conducts a thorough evaluation to determine which kind of flatfoot you have and how to best treat it.

How is flatfoot treated?

Pinnacle Foot & Ankle Clinics takes a conservative approach to care. Treating flatfoot can include:

• Custom-fitted orthotics (personalized shoe inserts)
• Activity changes
• Changing the kind of shoes you wear
• Physical therapy
• Immobilization
• Ankle foot orthosis (AFO) brace

If conservative care fails to improve your flatfoot, the team will talk to you about podiatric surgery. The team surgically improves the structure and function of your foot’s arch. Surgeries include tendon transfers, realignment of the bones, joint fusions, or placement of implant devices.

Call the nearest Pinnacle Foot & Ankle Clinics office or schedule an appointment online today to get help for your flatfoot.