How to deal with flat feet in children - flat feet in children

Children's flat feet - a very common phenomenon. Babies are born with weak muscles of the arch of the foot, therefore the round excavation of the osseous base is filled with a wise mother-nature fat pads. Visually, the soles of the newborns appear flat. Until the two-year-old, until the crumbs begin to learn walking and maintaining balance, orthopedic doctors consider this relief to be normal, without pathologies, since the cushioning functions of the foot are carried out with a soft fat pad in the foot zone and socks. Therefore, children do not experience painful sensations.

In the process of development, the foot acquires the arched form of a semicircle with a springing base, which, during walking with a straight posture, allows the load distribution on the different parts of the spine to be evenly distributed than it is easy to maintain the body weight. Flat feet, however, changing this form of the foot, violates its main function - depreciation.

By three or four years, the bones, becoming stronger, form the right arch of the foot, finally fixing it to the age of five. Orthopedic specialists only after reaching the age of five can put a sad diagnosis to the child - flat feet. Up to this point, we can only talk about the threat and prevention of this "terrible animal."

What is the threat of this disease, and how to deal with flat feet in children? Deformation of the foot, fixed at the time of school age, leads to:

• locomotor system, characterized by overloads in the hip and knee joints, curvature of the spine and painful sensations throughout the musculoskeletal system.
• curvature of the spine, inevitably associated with displaced vertebral discs, jammed nerve endings, as well as impaired circulation of internal organs. As a result of these negative changes, pathological complications occur in the internal organs, spasms of cerebral vessels are spasmodic, depending on the site of curvature.
• aesthetically a person with this disease looks clearly "not very": with a bad disproportionate posture, ugly figure and exhausted from chronic pains face.
• curvature of the superior cervical spine. This often leads to constant headaches.
• disc displacement in the lumbosacral spine, threatening varicose veins: an ugly surface of the legs, ugly sores, a bad mood.

Early prevention of flatfoot is the key to a successful fight against this ailment. When to start and at the same time how to deal with flat feet in children?

Prophylactic examinations at 3 months, half a year, a year and at three years should not only exclude rickets in the child, but also in time to identify the flattening of the bases of the feet. From the age of three, an annual visit to the orthopedist will not allow the missed development of pathology in the formation of posture and the appearance of problems with the relief of feet. If a child visits a pre-school, such regular examinations are conducted centrally. A child brought up at home, parents should be taken to the orthopedist every year.

When the initial signs of flat feet appear, the baby is placed on a dispensary record, he is assigned appropriate treatment courses developed by a specialist. Of great importance in this case is the identification of a variety of foot deformities and the degree of neglect of the disease.

Types of foot deformation

There are 2 forms of flatfoot: longitudinal and transverse. Longitudinal, the most common form of the problem - involves flattening the arch along the axis of the feet. Transverse, occurs much less often - reliance on all the pads of the spread fingers and the extension of this zone. The norm is considered to be a support for the first and fifth fingers, and between them the bones should form an arc.

This situation contributes to the disruption of normal walking and support, the baby's legs become X-shaped, aching, and there are problems in the operation of the spine. Baby even after a short walk quickly gets tired, capricious, sitting in a stroller, and the sole of his shoes or heel distinguishes trainey on the inner contour.

In three years, doctors recommend themselves to conduct their own child planking. This simple study consists in the simple diagnosis of flat feet in children at home. We put on the soles of the baby fat cream or wet them. We put the child exactly on a blank sheet of paper( it is better to take the A3 format).Having received clear imprints of the soles of the baby, you can show this planogram to the doctor. Sickle-shaped cutouts along the inner edge indicate a healthy foot, without pathology, and their absence - about the need for an urgent visit to the doctor.

What's next

Flatfoot treatment is a complex process and can not always bring a favorable outcome, especially if the second and more advanced degree of the disease is diagnosed.

• It is much easier to correct the initial symptoms, at a very early age. The use of baths with sea salt, therapeutic massage and special gymnastic exercises under the guidance of an experienced specialist - effective measures for the early diagnosis of insidious disease. They can successfully correct the relief of the soles of the baby even in just a couple of months. In neglected cases, years of persistent treatment will be needed for this purpose.

• Physiotherapy is another effective method used to combat flat feet in children. These procedures promote stimulation of biologically active points, activation of blood circulation, relaxation of muscles( removal of spasms).Physicians successfully cope with the symptoms of the disease with paraffin wax boots, ozocerite applications, and electrophoresis with antispasmodics. A doctor appointed course of 10 or more procedures is repeated once a quarter.

• Massage and gymnastics are the main assistants in the fight against flatfoot. Daily activities lead to progress in the correction of the relief of the soles, but it must be taken into account that they must become an integral part of the life of the baby.
• At home, you can turn massage and exercise into an exciting game: walking on a special relief rug, running along pebbles, rolling sticks, massage balls, drawing with a felt-tip pen, sanded legs, sun or other figures, using various special simulators. Reading a fairy tale in the evening before going to bed, rub the baby's soles, moving smoothly to the feet and legs to the knee. Stroking, kneading and rubbing will calm the child, relax, and in this case he will better fall asleep.

• The correct treatment of flat feet in children is accompanied by the constant wearing of special orthopedic insoles, developed by a specialist doctor. They are created in specialized workshops, as the foot of the foot is enlarged and formed, the insoles need to be changed. They give the foot a physiologically ideal position and unload the weak muscles.

• Such children are also shown orthopedic shoes. Medicinal sandals, boots or shoes are manufactured in licensed enterprises on a specially reproduced mock-up of your child's legs. It is necessary to wear it only according to the schedule agreed with the doctor. Ordinary children's shoes from the store are not suitable for such babies, since it should have: a rather rigid, firm backdrop, breathing, but with a leg wrapped around the foot, and a tight fixation of the foot.

Want to know the secret, how to deal with flat feet in children? Stubborn and consistent treatment will help to effectively adjust the foot of the baby.