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What is it?
What causes it?
- Hereditary structural defects
in the small bones of the feet
- Everyone is born with flat
feet; in some people suffering from pes planus, the ligaments
are weak or do not develop properly to form an arch
- Some people suffer from fallen
arches where the ligaments weaken in adult life, often from
rapid weight gain or neurological and muscular ailments such as
neuropathy or polio
Signs and Symptoms
- Over pronation, an abnormality
in the normal gait cycle (mechanics of foot movement) since the
arch collapses during impact activities such as walking,
running, or standing.
- Callus and corns
- Foot and heel pain caused
often by
plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the fibrous band that
runs along the bottom of the foot. In this case it results from
being overly stressed due to elongation from the flat arch
Prevention and Treatments
- Icing for ten minutes three
times per day and/or anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce
inflammation if
plantar
fasciitis develops
-
Low dye strapping
(taping) to help relieve stress on the plantar fascia
- Off-the-shelf arch supports
for simple, non-severe problems
-
Prescription custom orthotics
to help correct structural foot problems causing the pain and
other associated foot problems such as callus buildup and corns
- Regular routine foot care to
address problems such as corn and callus removal
- Footwear that is properly
suited to your foot type. For an illustration of what to look
for in footwear at your local shoe store for your type foot,
click here.
Your Chiropodist can provide further footwear advice
- Possibly prescription custom
footwear from your Chiropodist, depending on the severity of the
structural foot problem
- Stretching exercises for your
plantar fascia. For examples of the kinds of exercises your
Chiropodist may recommend, click
here
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