Fallen Arch

When To Call A Professional

Call your doctor whenever you have foot pain, whether or not you have flatfeet. This is particularly important if your foot pain makes it difficult for you to walk.

Call your pediatrician or family doctor if your child complains about foot pain, or if you are concerned that your child may be walking abnormally. Even if there are no foot symptoms, it is wise to check with your doctor periodically about your child's foot development just to be sure that everything is progressing as expected.

Prognosis

Up to 20% of children with flexible flatfeet remain flatfooted as adults. However, most do not have any symptoms. If a child with flexible flatfeet begins to have foot pain, conservative treatment with shoe modifications can usually relieve the discomfort, although it may not correct the problem permanently.

For rigid flatfeet, the outlook depends on the cause of the problem:

• Congenital vertical talus - Although surgery usually can correct the poor alignment of foot bones, many children with congenital vertical talus have underlying disorders that cause muscle weakness or other problems that interfere with full recovery.

• Tarsal coalition - When shoe modifications are not effective, casting may help. When surgery is necessary, the prognosis depends on many factors, including which bones are fused, the specific type of surgery and whether or not there is any arthritis in the foot joints.

• Subtalar dislocation - With proper treatment, most people recover without severe long-term complications or disability. In some cases, there is continuing stiffness in the area of the foot arch, but this does not necessarily cause pain or difficulty in walking. The risk of long-term problems is lowest in people who have at least three weeks of aggressive physical therapy after their casts are removed.

Additional Info

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse 1 AMS Circle Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 Phone: (301) 495-4484 Toll-Free: (877) 226-4267 Fax: (301) 718-6366 TTY: (301) 565-2966 http://www.niams.nih.gov/

American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) 9312 Old Georgetown Rd. Bethesda, MD 20814-1698 Phone: (301) 571-9200 Toll-Free: (800) 275-2762 Fax: (301) 530-2752 http://www.apma.org/

American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine 4414 Ives St. Rockville, MD 20853 Toll-Free (800) 438-3355 http://www.aapsm.org/

American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine 3525 Ellicott Mills Drive Suite N Ellicott City, MD 21043 Toll-Free (800) 265-8263 Fax: (888) 336-6832 http://www.acfaom.org/

American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons 515 Busse Highway Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 292-2237 Toll-Free: (800) 421-2237 http://www.acfas.org/