Most people coming in with medial arch pain or lateral ankle pain find out that they have flat feet, where someone has lost the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. Doctors help relieve the symptoms affecting Colorado Springs flat feet patients, helping them move freely.
The big toe side typically has a higher arch than the pinky toe side of the foot. When you lose that arch, you can have pain inside the foot or the ankle. You will notice that the arch will collapse and continue to progress. You can even notice that the toes begin to drift outward a little bit and point out to the side instead of pointing straight ahead as you are walking.
The progression of the flat foot takes months to years—it is not something that you would necessarily notice over days or weeks unless you have a traumatic rupture or injury that is causing the flatfoot, which can occur but is not the typical flat foot.
Types of flat feet
You can have a congenital flat foot, and that is not something that necessarily needs treatment. In general, care providers do not address a flatfoot with orthotics or surgery unless the patient is having symptoms. If they are not having any pain or any issues with the function of their foot, then treatment is unnecessary.
Why flat foot happens
The arch, the medial longitudinal arch, will collapse due to a tight calf muscle. When the calf muscle is tight, it increases the tension across the Achilles tendon. Because of the force of the ground and the tightness of the Achilles tendon, the arch gets extra stress, and over time can succumb and collapse.
How flatfoot is treated
Treatment for flatfoot is typically reserved for those patients that are having pain or are symptomatic from their flat foot. If you are walking around and happen to know that you have had flat feet your whole life, and they have never bothered you, your doctor will not even attempt to correct that. However, for arch pain or pain along the inside or outside of the ankle, your doctor will:
- Always start with non-operative treatment, orthotics.
- Sometimes perform injections. However, doctors try not to inject tendons due to the risk of rupture.
- Conduct physical therapy to try and stretch out the calf muscle and strengthen the tendons and ligaments that are supposed to support the arch.
The majority of patients that come in for flat feet at Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado can be managed pretty well with conservative treatment; that gives relief from pain and allows them to continue the activities that they enjoy.
If patients have a flat foot and they continue to have pain after trying therapy and injections, then that is when their doctor will recommend surgical management. Surgical approaches vary depending on the foot’s flexibility, how mobile the foot remains, and how easily the doctor can correct the flat foot manually in the office.
Contact Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado to learn more about the available treatment options for flat feet.