What is Flat Foot?
Flat Foot is a commonly used term for Over Pronation which is an inward or medial roll of the foot, particularly the arch and heel, which occurs naturally when the foot initially contacts the ground as a shock absorbing/adaptive mechanism. In Flat Foot this movement occurs excessively and the foot is unable to recover to its normal position.
Symptoms
There are many symptoms associated with Flat Foot. These include pain in the heel/medial arch area (plantar facsitis), anterior knee pain, pain in the inner border of the shin area (shin splints), medial tibial stress syndrome, low back pain, pain / inflammation in the Achilles tendon (Achilles tendonitis), pain in the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia) and increased wear to the medial (inner) border of the soles and heels of footwear.
Treatments
• Functional Foot Orthotics will reduce flat foot (Over Pronation) and improve foot biomechanics. In addition the use of shock absorbing materials in specific areas can mitigate the problem of shock attenuation through inflamed soft tissues
