Is it possible to live normally with flat feet or is it necessary to treat it?

Flat feet or flattening of the arch of the Foot is noted in 30% of the world's population. More than 95% of people with flat feet do not need treatment. In many developed countries, such as the USA, Canada, Germany, Israel, loyalty-orthopedic shoes are not sold at all. No pain, no diagnosis. The absence of pain, even with severe deformity. In these countries, it is not a respite to military service and grade 3 people are promoted to officers. In my practice, congenital flat feet (vertical ram) occurs 2-3 times a year, in adolescence, painful feet are often accompanied by tarsal coalitions and other anomalies, at an older age, diabetic feet, arthrosis. The approach to everyone is individual, with the development of surgery and diagnostics, the indications for surgery increase. My advice is to contact doctors specializing in foot or to large centers where they are deeply versed in this issue. Reasons for examination: pain, flat arch of the foot, lying and standing, severe deformity.

Hello. You can and even must live a normal life! The question is that the "normality" for each person is different. Someone needs to run a marathon, while others just need to walk painlessly at an average pace. Actually, walking comfort is the litmus test that determines the need for surgical treatment. Another thing is that it is absolutely necessary to treat flat feet and engage in prevention! My colleague in the previous post stated everything absolutely correctly, I will not repeat myself. The foot is the trigger for many problems in the human skeleton. Train your feet, strengthen them and everything will be in order.

And if the problem cannot be solved, and pain has become your daily companion, orthopedic surgeons will always help you.

If you have if you have any questions, you can ask them by e-mail [email protected] or to the VKontakte group https://vk.com/club62887193

Sincerely, Sergey Sergeevich Sinitsyn. Traumatologist-orthopedist of the highest qualification category. Member of the Russian Association of Foot and Ankle Surgeons RUSFAS. Head of the Center for Foot Surgery at St. George Hospital, St. Petersburg.

Everything is relative here, it depends on the shape and degree of deformity of the foot, the age at which this disease was first identified, the person's lifestyle. But, regardless of everything, it is worthwhile to understand that this disease is prone to progression, and if at first only a cosmetic defect and periodic pain syndrome are noted, especially after a long and strenuous walk, running, then as the disease develops further, from an irregular shape the whole body will begin to suffer. When it ceases to perform its shock-absorbing function, this role is assumed by the spine, joints, as well as the ligamentous-muscular apparatus.
Calcaneal spur and calluses become quite frequent concomitant diseases. And then, everything else can be joined by the deformation of the ankle joint, knee and even hip joint. Severe forms of flat feet can lead to scoliosis, more rapid progression of osteochondrosis of the spine, herniated disc, radiculitis, as well as to osteoarthritis of the joints described above. Naturally, the presence of flat feet is not natural and in 100% of cases leads to all of the above, just as smoking does not lead to lung cancer in 100% of cases, but it is worthwhile to understand both one and the other - very significant risk factors for the development of such problems.