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Home › Articles › Basic Care › Happy Feet

Happy Feet

Dispelling the Myths of Flat Feet

By Kelly Burgess

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What shoes cannot do, and what no device can do, is cause arches to form, Dr. Mosca says. While there are few controlled studies on this topic, he says that the one of which he is aware showed no evidence of arch formation in children who wore devices that allegedly promoted arch formation. These were the types of treatment that were common when Mobley's son was a toddler, and sometimes the myths of arch formation persist – especially with grandparents who may have outdated notions of what constitutes a healthy foot.

In general, any approach to flat-footedness should start very conservatively, Dr. Mosca says. Although surgery is occasionally indicated for children with rigid flat feet, it should be a very last resort, as the incidence of complications are high.

To put problems associated with flat feet in perspective, Dr. Mosca notes the following:

  • Everyone has flat feet until up to age 7 to 10.
  • Of that number, 20 to 25 percent will have flat feet as adults.
  • Of that number, 9 percent will have rigid flat feet.
  • Of that number, 25 percent will have pain.

So the number of children who will ever need treatment for pain associated with flat feet is very, very small. The big danger Dr. Mosca sees is parents who may listen to those who still think flat feet are a "problem" and seek unnecessary treatments.

There are also myths about how flat feet affect athletic performance, even though Dr. Mosca says that studies show children with flat feet tend to actually excel in athletics, for whatever reason. His own 11-year-old daughter has flat feet and he says she's an excellent athlete.


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