Children diagnosed with flat foot should complete specific exercises or wear special medical corrective shoes in order to help them walk properly and prevent pain Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mohamed al-Sharani has recommended.

Flat foot is common among children under the age of three years but the condition often disappears before the age of five but symptoms may continue to affect some children long term, causing severe pain and health problems if not treated properly.    

“Flat foot conditions are characterised by the absence of a foot arch, causing the whole body weight to be placed on the foot and the weak mid-foot area. The condition results in severe pain in the foot arch and ankle and often gradually starts to cause pain in the legs, knees and back. It may also cause difficulties and pain when standing, walking or running due to problems in the biomechanics of the lower leg,” Dr al-Sharani explained.Having a fully developed foot arch is important to maintaining balance.

However, the appearance of flat feet is normal and common in infants under the age of two years due to the thick layer of baby fat present in the foot arch of infants.

Low arches are also considered normal in babies under the age of two years.   

“There are two types of flat foot conditions; the flexible flat foot and the rigid flat foot. Flexible flat foot condition is identified when the child shows ability to move the foot in all directions. The child can develop this condition with no clear reason or as a result of neuromuscular diseases that affect the foot,” he explained further.

According to Dr al-Sharani, in most cases seen in Qatar, flexible flat foot is associated with the relaxation and the loosening of the ligaments.

“Unlike a flexible flat foot, a rigid flat foot is characterised by a limited ability to move the foot. It is often the result of a problem affecting the structure or the alignment of the bones that make up the foot’s arch, such as infections or congenital deformities in the bones of the foot,” Dr al-Sharani stressed. 

Dr al-Sharani highlighted the important role parents play in early detection and diagnosis of flat foot conditions, adding that an easy home diagnosis is the ‘wet footprint’ test.

“Performed by wetting the feet in water and then standing on a smooth surface such as heavy paper, if almost the entire footprint is visual, it usually means the entire sole of the foot has made contact and is an indicator of flat foot conditions. Moreover, parents should notice if their child’s shoes erode from the inner side. They should also ask their child if he or she feels pain in the feet or legs or if the child experiences difficulty while walking or running. If a flat foot condition is suspected, an X-ray can be used to check the bone structure and determine the optimal treatment,” he emphasised.  

Al-Sharani added that sometimes special exercises and wearing specially designed medical shoes may effectively treat flat foot conditions, however, special exercises and corrective shoes cannot correct the bone structure.

Speaking about flat foot conditions in adults, he said: “Adults can also develop flat foot conditions in adulthood. Known as adult acquired flat foot, the condition is often caused by obesity, diabetes or as part of the normal aging process; it is especially common in women over 40 years of age. Signs of increased foot flatness can also be noticed during pregnancy as a result of the increased production of the hormone, relaxin.”