Due to their inexperience, fatigue, or the usual professional burnout, doctors sometimes do not notice symptoms that could indicate a certain illness of the child. Parents are another matter. They always pay attention to minor trifles that can cause them anxiety about the health of the baby. Therefore, if parents notice that their child has an unnatural gait, then they should know how to determine flat feet in a child.
Flatfoot is ...
Flatfoot is called a characteristic deformation of the feet, which can be congenital or acquired. Changing the shape of the foot affects its transverse and longitudinal arches - they are lowered.
This disease is quite common. Moreover, many, complaining of pain in the back, joints, muscles, may not even suspect him. Therefore, it is very important for parents to have knowledge about how to determine flat feet in a child.
Types of flat feet
By the nature of the deformation of the foot, flatfoot is divided into initial, transverse and longitudinal. Moreover, if a person, for example, has transverse flat feet, this does not mean at all that over time he will not gain longitudinal. All types of flat feet get along well with each other.
From the name it is absolutely logical to conclude that the transverse flatfoot is characterized by the omission of the transverse arch of the foot, and the longitudinal - longitudinal. Longitudinal flatfoot, in turn, can affect leg size. Therefore, if a person has changed the usual 39th shoe size to the 40th, then this may become a reason for contacting a specialist. This applies to an adult. But with how to determine a child’s flat feet, things are a little more complicated.
By origin, this disease can be divided into: congenital and acquired. There are four ways to get flat feet:
- Having had polio. A side effect of this disease is paralysis of the muscles of the leg and foot, which can cause paralytic flatfoot.
- Having broken bones of the foot or ankle is the cause of traumatic flat feet.
- Having rickets in infancy. Rickets adversely affects the correct formation of the child’s skeletal system, so it can become a fundamental factor for the occurrence of rickets flat feet.
- Purchasing uncomfortable shoes or high-heeled shoes. The majority of patients with static flat feet are women. Because they often sacrifice convenience and comfort for the sake of beauty.
Congenital flatfoot is extremely rare - in only 3% of cases.
The degree of development of the disease
The degree of deformation of the foot can only be determined by a specialist. But the presence of the disease, parents can independently notice already at an early stage of flat feet.
In transverse flatfoot, as in longitudinal, there are three degrees of the development of the disease. The first degree is characterized by mild symptoms and visually almost not noticeable. The reason for going to the doctor may be fatigue of the legs, swelling, gait changes and other symptoms characteristic of this disease. The degree of development of the disease may worsen if no measures are taken to eliminate it. Therefore, in order to avoid serious consequences, you need to see a doctor at the first symptoms.
What does flat feet affect?
Although flat feet in itself seems like a fairly harmless disease, it can bring a lot of trouble to the patient. When a child is sick, the situation is much worse. The baby can’t just be asked about the symptoms and worries, so the parents don’t know how to determine the child’s flat feet for 1 year and can this be done at all?
Flat feet affects the rate of wear of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the sooner the start is given, the faster the patient will face problems in the future. In addition, it contributes to the curvature of the spine, and as a result, the occurrence of back pain.
Patients with flat feet are most often given out by their gait, characteristic of this disease. Due to the improper distribution of the load on the feet, a person may experience pain in the muscles, ligaments, joints. The presence of flat feet also affects the formation of the so-called bone, which with age will bring even more problems in everyday life.
Causes of flat feet in children
Since flatfoot, as a congenital pathology is extremely rare, parents should carefully monitor those factors that can affect its occurrence. The reason for the development of flat feet in a child can be:
- excess weight;
- uncomfortable, tight shoes;
- lack of vitamin D and, as a result, rickets;
- low mobility;
- improper load distribution on the feet;
- injuries of the foot and lower leg.
To avoid the development of this disease, you need to take preventive actions that do not require special skills. Bone tissue, muscles and ligaments of young children take time to get stronger. In this case, the role of parents is to create favorable conditions for this.
At what age is flat feet in children determined?
Flat feet is a fairly common disease among young children. The signs of this disease are especially pronounced in 2-3 years. Therefore, parents very often wonder how to determine flat feet in a 2-year-old child?
In fact, the manifestation of symptoms of flat feet in children at this age should not cause particular concern in parents. The fact is that the child at birth does not yet have bone tissue. Mostly its skeleton consists of cartilage. And only with time do these cartilages begin to grow stronger, saturated with calcium, fluorine, phosphorus, etc.
In 2-3 years, the process of formation of the skeletal system is still at an intermediate stage. Bone tissue takes its more or less finished appearance only at 5-6 years old, it is then that you can make the child the correct diagnosis. Therefore, to look for the answer to the question of how to determine flat feet in a 3-year-old child, it makes sense only when flat feet is accompanied by flat-valgus deformity of the foot.
Flat feet in children: how to determine?
Photos posted on the network with the image of children's legs are unlikely to help you make the right diagnosis. Therefore, if you suspect that your child has flat feet, pay attention to two external symptoms of this disease:
- wrong gait;
- Shoe wear pattern.
How to determine whether a child has flat feet by gait? The first thing that should cause caution in parents is clubfoot. By “clubfoot” we understand the nature of the gait in which the toes of the foot are turned outward when walking. This is due to the fact that the muscles of the feet of the child when walking are in a relaxed state and cannot maintain its correct position.
It is also worth paying attention to how the child’s shoes wear out. If all shoes are deformed when worn, in particular, their inner side, this indicates an incorrect position of the foot when walking.
When parents are in no hurry to seek advice from a specialist, you can use the folk method for determining flat feet. To do this, smear the foot of the child with fat cream and put a footprint on a white sheet of paper. If the recess in the print is not large enough or it is not at all, then this is a serious reason for contacting a qualified doctor.
Which doctor determines flat feet in children?
Many parents are looking for information on how to determine their child’s flat feet, simply because they don’t know which doctor needs to be consulted. The diagnosis of flat feet can only be made by an orthopedic surgeon.
When registering with the children's clinic, the local pediatrician must detail the schedule for visiting the orthopedic surgeon in the first year of the child's life. As a rule, a visit is prescribed for 1,3,6 and 12 months of the baby. After the child learns to walk, doctors recommend visiting the orthopedist once a year.
Treatment
Depending on the origin of the disease, the method of treatment is also determined. If the child fell into the same 3%, in which flat feet is a congenital disease, then plaster dressings will be used to change the shape of the foot. Each pair of dressings is applied for a period of not more than 10 days with their subsequent replacement. If the child was born with a severe form of flat feet, then the pathology will have to be corrected surgically.
With the acquired form of flatfoot, other methods of treatment are used, which include:
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- physiotherapy exercises;
The diagnosis of acquired flat feet can be made only after the child is 5 years old, therefore, medical procedures are not carried out earlier than this period. If you want to protect the child from this disease, it is best to take preventive measures for this.
Orthopedic shoes
When the orthopedic surgeon nevertheless renders a verdict that the child has a deformity of the foot, he must write out an appointment for the use of special orthopedic shoes.
Many parents buy such shoes without a doctor’s prescription just because they consider it safer for the child. But this is not so. Orthopedic shoes are by and large a medical device for treating flat feet. But to answer the question of how to determine flat feet in a child whose year of birth suggests that his foot is still at the formation stage, it is impossible. And how can one treat a disease that a child does not actually have? No way. Therefore, orthopedic surgeons agree that a child under three years old absolutely does not need orthopedic shoes .
Food with flat feet
Of course, a special diet will not help get rid of flat feet, but experts still developed a daily diet for a person with this disease. This development is aimed at increasing the effectiveness of therapeutic measures for the speedy recovery of the patient.
For young children, breast milk is the best food. When a child already begins to eat “adult” food, it is very important to ensure that it is rich in vitamins and minerals. In particular, calcium, phosphorus, collagen and vitamin D. Most of these substances are found in dairy products (calcium), fish (phosphorus, vitamin D) and aspic (collagen).
Prevention of flat feet in children
In order not to wonder how to determine the flat feet of a one-year-old child, it is enough to observe a number of simple rules that completely eliminate the likelihood of this disease.
The most important factor in the correct formation of the foot in a child is well-chosen shoes. Aesthetics in this case should go to the background. First of all, the baby’s shoes should be of a suitable size. There is no need to buy a child “outgrowing” shoes or to wear almost new shoes for older brothers or sisters, as this can cause improper distribution of load on the foot. And this, as we all remember, is one of the causes of flat feet.
If the child does not have medical indications for which he needs to wear shoes as often as possible, then try so that the baby moves barefoot most of his time. This is especially true for children aged 1 to 3 years. If at the age of one, parents still do not attach much importance to the correctness of the child’s gait, then at 2 years old they begin to look more closely at her. Therefore, the question of how to determine flat feet in a 2-year-old child arises much more often than others.
In vivo, a child’s foot is formed most correctly. The surface on which the baby walks should have a different texture - smooth, embossed, rough and other. In the summer, you can walk with your child barefoot on grass or embossed soil, and in winter you can use special rugs.