Normal feet have arches, and these arches are there to provide proper support for your entire body. If your feet lack arches and are causing pain, you may want to visit a foot doctor to find out why you have flat feet, what problems this can cause, and how you can fix the problem.

Why It Occurs

Flat feet can be hereditary in many cases, but it can also be the result of an injury to your feet, ankles, or legs. Flat feet can also be the result of certain medical conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. People that are severely overweight are at a higher risk for developing this simply from the extra weight they carry around each day, and this is also true for pregnant women.

The Symptoms You Might Feel

There are times when people do not have problems from this condition; however, it is more common to experience problems if your feet do not have proper arches. The most common symptom is achy feet, especially when walking or standing for long periods of time. Not only can this cause foot pain, but the pain can also spread to pain in your ankles, calves, legs, and knees. If your case is severe, it may also cause pain in your back and hips.

The reason flat feet can lead to these problems is from the lack of support your feet provide when you do not have arches. To understand this, you should realize that your feet are made up of 26 different bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. When these are all present and functioning properly, they help distribute all your body weight evenly throughout your legs and feet. Without arches in your feet, this cannot happen properly.

The body parts that you experience the most problems with will most likely be the parts of your body that are receiving too much of the weight distribution, whereas the parts that are not aching are probably not receiving enough of the load.

Treatment For Flat Feet

There really is no cure for flat feet; however, there are ways to treat it that may help reduce any pain or discomfort you might have from standing and walking. The most common treatment option involves orthotics. Orthotics can be custom-made for your feet, and they are designed in the shape of shoe insoles. They will be created with arches in them, and these will provide the necessary support your feet and legs need. You may also want to choose shoes that are supportive and comfortable and avoid high heels or tight-fitting shoes.

Using orthotics typically helps tremendously with this problem, but foot doctors also recommend exercising your feet to help with this issue. Exercises for the feet are designed to loosen and build the muscles they contain, and this will often help if your feet grow tired from walking. There are currently no surgical procedures used to treat flat feet, but foot doctors can perform surgery if you have issues with your bones, muscles, or tendons.

It's also important to realize that if you have any type of health condition or injury that has caused your arches to fall, you should make sure you are treating it properly to avoid any further damage to your feet. For example, if you injured your foot while playing a sport and have a torn ligament or tendon, you should make sure you ask a doctor to look at it to determine if it needs any type of medical treatment.

Living with flat feet is not a huge problem, unless it is causing a lot of pain. If you have pain and discomfort from this, you should schedule an appointment with a foot doctor at a clinic like Laurel Podiatry Associates, LLC to find out if there is anything that is causing this and to learn how you can relieve the pain.

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