Flatfoot

The flat foot (lat. Pes planus) is a congenital or acquired foot malposition, which occurs very frequently. In this case, the longitudinal arch of the foot (from the heel to the ball of the forefoot) sinks due to a weakness of the foot support system.

This can cause the heel or forefoot to tilt towards the outer edge. In extreme cases, the foot can lie completely flat on the ground. A special form of flat foot is the flat foot.

Here, the longitudinal arch of the foot only lowers under load. In contrast to a kinked flat foot, which is characterized by a similar foot pattern, the flat foot is permanently altered in its shape. It does not straighten up again even at rest.

The cause of the development of a flat foot is an abnormal development of the foot skeleton. The healthy foot is arched lengthwise on the inner edge. This means that the foot is normally raised from the ground by about a finger‘s width.

The defective skeleton of the flat foot causes this longitudinal arch to be lowered and the heel to rise. Depending on the shape of the flat foot, acquired or congenital, the causes of the foot malposition differ. The congenital flat foot (congenital flat foot) is rather rare and usually occurs in combination with other congenital malformations.

This form of flat foot is often a family history. This suggests that the flatfoot is passed on over generations. Acquired flat feet, on the other hand, are mainly caused by inadequate functioning of muscles and ligaments.

Reasons for the insufficient function can be permanent overloading, constant standing, overweight, weak connective tissue or a previous heel fracture. But also other diseases such as polio, rickets, neurological or rheumatic diseases can lead to foot malpositions. These affect the tendons and muscles of the arch of the foot, causing it to become inefficiently supported and sink.

Even constant wearing of shoes can cause a flat foot. Since shoes restrict the freedom of movement of feet and toes and also protect the feet from minor stimuli, the foot muscles are not trained sufficiently and are not strong enough. Especially common are complaints on the inner edge of the foot, around the scaphoid and in the area of the sole of the foot.

Sometimes there is also pain in the calves, knees, thighs and back. The reason for this is the changed load on the entire foot and the resulting unequal distribution of force. If the flat foot is very pronounced, there is usually no more pain.