Treatment of flat feet in children

Very often parents do not fully understand the danger of developing flat feet in their child. "Well, so what if the footprint is slightly flattened," say poorly informed adults. But flat feet are a very insidious disease. Despite the apparent ease, the baby is not disabled, what else do you need, this pathology does not go away on its own, but only gets worse over time. Foot deformation - this diagnosis, according to statistics, affects over 65% of preschool children, and upon leaving secondary school, this figure is even more frightening. Therefore, the treatment of flat feet in children is not a whim of orthopedists - it is an urgent recommendation for parents who want to see their offspring healthy.

Exercises for flat feet in children

All the measures used to treat flat feet in children are aimed at one thing - to reduce the level of flatness of the arches of the sole and the forward tilt of the baby's heels. Over the years, certain treatment complexes have developed based on the structural features and mechanical work of the muscle and ligament tissues of the lower extremities. The therapy is mainly complex. It often includes: wearing special orthopedic shoes, exercises and massages aimed at raising the arch of the feet.

Therapeutic exercises for flat feet in children, which are prescribed to a small patient at the initial stage of therapy, are performed mainly from a lying or sitting position. This approach makes it possible to exclude the baby's body weight from the loads, which is necessary in the starting period.

The treatment complex is not limited to loading only the problem area. Exercises usually alternate, forcing the muscles of the foot area to work directly, then there is a general strengthening and developmental load on the muscle tissues of the child's entire body. The required end result is to achieve muscle balance of the foot, allowing you to keep its arch in the correct, physiologically justified position. This approach will automatically improve the coordination of the child's body movements. The main focus of the exercises is to improve the outflow of lymphatic fluid, stimulate blood circulation and the production of intra-articular fluid, which leads to better joint mobility.

And so that the classes do not look like forced, forced, hysterical loads on the part of the child, they can be turned into a fun game. Take some topic and play it out. For example, "treasure island" or "pirate party". Come up with an appropriate name for each exercise, and the child will happily do everything that is required of him, just to get to the chest with treasures.

Exercise "log". We imagine with the child that we are making our way through an impenetrable jungle: the child begins to roll a log, a rolling pin, a small ball or an abacus with his foot, first with one foot, then with the other.

"Counting Piastres": Start by sitting on a rug. The baby's legs are bent at the knees, the heels are firmly pressed against the surface. They should not come off the floor throughout the exercise. The toes lightly cover a towel or napkin lying on the floor. A handful of small stones are sprinkled on the towel (you can use your imagination and replace the stones with other objects). Now the baby begins to move the phalanges of one foot so that the weighted towel is pulled up to the heels. Do the same with the toes of the other foot.

Exercise "sharpening a dagger": the little pirate should sit on the mat, stretching out his legs, knees not bent. With the big toe of the right foot, we begin a contact movement from the big toe of the left foot to the knee. We repeat such stroking three to four times. Then we change the position of the legs.

"Tribute Collector": the child sits on a rug, legs bent at the knees. Objects of various shapes and textures (a rubber elephant, a pine cone, a clothespin, etc.) are scattered on the floor nearby. The child needs to use his toes to collect all the objects from the floor and put them in one place. Both legs should work alternately, trying to ensure that the captured object does not fall during the transfer. Without using his hands, move the toys from one pile to another.

Exercise "black mark": the toddler can be seated on a small chair. A piece of paper is placed on the floor. The baby holds it with one foot, and with the other, with a pencil clamped between the fingers, we begin to "write" or depict various figures. After a certain time, we change the actions of the legs.

Exercise "Robber": Sitting on a rug, knees bent, heels firmly on the surface. We do the movements with both legs at once. We begin to bend the phalanges of the fingers of the lower extremities, the heel is pulled to the toes (the baby tries to repeat how a caterpillar crawls), we fix the heel in one place - we straighten the toes. We do this movement until the moment when the fingers stop touching the surface.

Exercise "frigate": the baby sits on the rug, legs are bent, the baby's feet are connected to each other. Smoothly try to straighten the knees until the fingers and heels are still able to touch. Try to get the shape of a ship from the pressed feet.

Exercise "storm": sitting on a rug with straight legs, the baby should try to describe circles with his feet, first in one direction, then in the other. If it is not possible to do this with both legs together, you can do it first with the left and then with the right limb, the result will not be worse.

Exercise "studying a pirate map": the toddler sits on a rug, legs bent and slightly apart (the distance between them is about 20 cm). The heels are fixed in one place, and the bent fingers begin to gradually come closer to each other, then, on the contrary, spread apart, "spinning" on the heels. Repeat the sickle-shaped movements several times.

Exercise "pump": a small person sits on a rug with bent legs, while he rests on the floor only with his toes, heels are raised above the surface. We begin to move the foot down and up (the heel does not touch the floor - "pumping water"). Gradually, in the process of performing the actions, we straighten the legs at the knees.

Exercise "Sentry": The baby "stands on duty". We begin to bring the heels together and spread them apart, while the toes remain in place. The soles do not come off the surface, the legs are straight.

Exercise "attack, or cross-country running": The toddler simply walks on the rug on his heels for a certain amount of time (the soles and toes should not touch the surface).

Daily exercises are very useful (it is advisable to do them even twice a day), they should bring emotional pleasure to the baby. Preschool children love such games. An older child can play out these simple exercises a little differently. But an adult must make sure that all exercises are done correctly and with the proper amplitude. Otherwise, all activities lose their meaning. Each exercise should be done 10-15 times. In total, it should take about 15 minutes to complete the entire complex. You should not overload the baby - he may get bored and it will be problematic to make him do something again.

Later, you can add the well-known exercises: walking on your heels, on your toes, on the outer edge of your foot. It will be useful to change the surface texture. For example, first a bare floor, then pebbles, then sand, a rug, and so on (here it all depends on the parents' imagination). In the summer, it is desirable for the baby to walk barefoot on the ground - you can't think of a better massage. The main thing is that adults are sure that there is no glass, nails or other objects on the ground that are dangerous for the baby's delicate skin.

But you should be patient. You won't achieve the expected result in a few lessons. Sometimes you need six months of daily lessons to get the desired effect. And another key point of success - do not forget to praise the child, even if he does not succeed in everything. For him, praise from parents is an extra incentive to try even harder.

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Massage treatment for flat feet in children

In case of diagnosis of flat feet or suspicion of it, soft-contact techniques of manual therapy and massage are used practically from infancy. Massage treatment of flat feet in children is aimed at stimulating lymph flow and blood circulation in the problem area, strengthening the muscles and joints that bear the main load of supporting the arch of the foot. By influencing the articular and ligamentous apparatus, massage is designed to correct pathological deformations to which the ankle and foot of the child have been subjected.

Due to foot deformation, there is a redistribution of loads, which can subsequently affect the condition of the spine and the entire musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the massage should cover all muscle groups, although special attention is naturally paid directly to the pathological zone.

To speed up the stabilization process, it would be wise to combine therapeutic exercises and massages, which should be performed daily.

Let's look at the most common massage methods:

• Back massage:
  • The child lies on his tummy, arms relaxed along the body.
  • The massage begins with soft circular stroking of the back with the palms of the hands. Gradually the pressure increases, and from stroking they move on to rubbing, while the skin should turn slightly red.
  • We pass the edge of the hand along the entire spine from one side and the other.
  • Then, with a little tension, move your palm several times from the baby's sacrum towards the armpits. This must be done several times.
  • Then lightly pinch the entire surface of the back. Now the skin is perfectly warmed up.
  • With all the phalanges of your hand, grab the skin fold. Moving the phalanges, move the resulting tubercle up along the entire back, and similarly move down.
  • The end of the massage is similar to the beginning – stroking the back with soft hand movements.
• We massage the legs. The baby also lies on his stomach.
  • The sequence of actions is similar to the back massage. First, we stroke the surface of the leg from the hip to the ankle and foot.
  • Then we start rubbing, gradually increasing the pressure. Rub until the skin turns pink.
  • We pinch lightly, working over the entire skin of the baby’s leg.
  • We finish with stroking again.
• Let's start working with the baby's foot and shin. The starting position is the same. The sequence of loads is similar: stroke - rub - knead - pinch - rub again and finally stroke again. It is only worth noting that you need to knead the muscle tissue of the shin with special care. When massaging the foot, you need to pay attention to each toe, work with it, thoroughly knead each joint and all the pads. There is also a recommended sequence of kneading and rubbing places: we start with the gastrocnemius muscle, then move on to the Achilles tendon. After completing its thorough processing, we take on the outer side of the shin, then move on to the inner one. Next, we begin to massage the foot from the back side, focusing on the sole. Again we return to processing the gastrocnemius muscle and again reach the foot. And so several times.
• Now we turn the baby over onto his back (or he does it himself) and do the same thing and in the same sequence, only with the front skin and muscles of the baby. It is worth remembering only that from the side of the face the movements should be lighter, the pressure less. It is worth reducing the force of kneading and pinching.

It should not be forgotten that the sooner you start correcting a defect, the less effort you need to put in and the less time you will have to spend to achieve the desired result.

Treatment of hallux valgus in children

Hallux valgus – this is the phrase orthopedists use to define a pathology when the bone of the heel zone has deviated from its normal position outward. People call this defect “clubfoot”. If the deformation affects the transverse muscles, we get transverse hallux valgus, if longitudinal – then the corresponding name. Hence, complex, but more targeted treatment of hallux valgus in children is carried out.

In this case, it is quite simple and independent to determine whether the legs are positioned normally or with pathology. To do this, you need to mentally draw a line from the space between the toes of the limbs (we take the space between two internal and three external), draw it along the middle of the kneecap and to the hip joint. Any deviation from this line is a confirmation of the existing deformation. In this case, a distinction is made between valgus curvature: the shin falls inward, the legs visually look like the letter "X". Varus curvature, respectively, the shin falls outward, visually the legs form a donut.

With any of these pathologies, the baby gets tired very quickly, he has pain in the lower limbs. Timely and comprehensive treatment of valgus flatfoot in children will allow you to completely restore lost muscle tone, correct the curvature, and normalize the condition of the arch of the foot. After a comprehensive examination, the attending physician - orthopedist will select the therapy that will be most effective in a particular case.

• The first rule of therapy is that when standing, the baby’s legs should be touching each other – this will reduce the load on the lower limbs, and, accordingly, on the feet, connective tissues and joints.
• Reduce the duration of walking.
• A good contribution to the treatment of flat feet will be visiting the pool, running barefoot on different ground textures (grass, sand, pebbles), riding a bike. Playing with a ball, walking on a log and climbing stairs - all this is a great contribution to the piggy bank of success.
• To correct the defect, the orthopedist prescribes orthopedic shoes and special insoles for the patient, which are selected or made directly for the child’s foot.
• You can’t do without daily therapeutic gymnastics with its health-improving exercises.
• Massages, which are carried out according to a scheme, in special courses, also play an important role in recovery. The intervals between sets of exercises are about a month. The number of procedures in one course is prescribed by the doctor individually and can be from 10 to 20.
• If the therapy is ineffective, the doctor may decide on the need for surgical intervention. A varus osteotomy is prescribed. The purpose of the operation: a wedge-shaped fragment is excised from the femur, and the remaining bone tissue is connected using screws. After the end of the surgical intervention, a special device is used to externally fix the bone. This procedure is called osteosynthesis using the Ilizarov method.

Treatment of transverse flatfoot in children

In a normal, natural state, the sole of a person is equipped with two notches (arches). The first or longitudinal, is located on the inner side and is the most noticeable. The second is located at the base of the phalanges and is called transverse. Depending on where the arch subsidence is observed, longitudinal or transverse flatfoot is diagnosed. Both of these notches work for normal cushioning, which is necessary when walking, and also participate in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, which allows maintaining balance. If the ligaments and muscles of a child are weakened, then they cannot maintain the necessary shape of the foot. The sole loses its spring characteristics. In this case, a redistribution of the load occurs: it partially passes from the foot to the joints of the lower limbs and the spinal column. Constant increased pressure on organs that are not adapted to such loads, and gradually deformation of the joints and spine begins to be observed, pain symptoms appear.

Treatment of transverse flatfoot in children begins with diagnosis. Pain is relieved with medications, and the situation is corrected by using physiotherapy procedures.

• An orthopedic doctor will most likely advise the patient to wear orthopedic shoes, which can be purchased in specialized stores or made to order, individually for the patient's foot. Sometimes an orthopedic insole will be enough. It has a special thickening (instep support) on the inside, there should be a small depression in the place of the heel, and a pad at the base of the phalanges. The presence of wedge-shaped inserts makes it possible to adjust the angle of the foot.
• Treatment of flat feet in children is always complex. Therefore, in addition to special shoes, the baby is prescribed a massage, which allows activating blood flow in the problem area and improving lymph drainage. At the same time, the tone of muscles and ligaments increases, which should work normally, correcting the situation.
• In each case, a specific set of exercises is selected, which, in addition to increasing overall muscle tone, should work specifically to restore lost functions.

This combination of methods will allow more effective treatment of transverse flatfoot in children, significantly reducing the symptoms of the disease. If the therapy was started at an early stage of the disease, then it is quite possible to get rid of the pathology once and for all. In the case of a severe degree of the disease, this complex approach can slow down or stop the disease. In especially severe cases, it will not be possible to do without surgical intervention.

Treatment of longitudinal flatfoot in children

Most often, school-age and preschool-age children have flat feet of the longitudinal arch. This pathology is currently quite well treated. If all the doctor's instructions are followed, it is possible to restore the longitudinal arch quite effectively. Treatment of longitudinal flat feet in children does not require surgical intervention, since the child continues to grow and develop, which gives a good chance for conservative methods to affect the ligaments, muscle tissues and bones of the small patient, bringing them back to normal.

To correct the pathology, the doctor prescribes therapeutic exercise and special massages to the little patient, designed to correct the situation. Therapeutic exercise is a set of exercises that include walking on the heels and toes, on the outer and inner sides of the foot. The baby needs to do with the fingers of the lower extremities the actions that we do with our hands in everyday life: collect and move various objects with the phalanges of the fingers of the lower extremities. Various exercises in the form of a "mill" and "sickle" are also used. The entire necessary complex will be shown by a specially trained medical worker who works at each clinic where there is a therapeutic exercise room.

If you have a summer house or a plot of land in the village, it will be useful for the baby, and for the adults themselves, to walk barefoot on the ground. And the more diverse the soil structure, the better: grass, then small stones, sand, a log, a ladder. The main thing is to be sure that there is no glass or sharp stones in the grass that can hurt the baby's feet. You can create a similar "piece of nature" in your apartment yourself.

Wearing orthopedic accessories directly depends on the age of the baby. The toddler goes to kindergarten, then the orthopedist will recommend him to wear special shoes, which are equipped with a hard surface and a low heel. Special orthopedic insoles are not recommended at this age. After the age of seven, the load on the lower limbs increases: physical education classes appear at school, many parents enroll their children in sports sections, the child leads a more active lifestyle: playing football with peers, and so on. In this situation, the orthopedist will advise the child to buy orthopedic insoles, which can be bought at a pharmacy or a specialized store. This product is selected individually for each foot.

If the child complains of pain in the legs, which increases when walking, the orthopedist will perform manipulations to bring the foot into the required position and fix it with a splint or plaster cast, which will have to be endured for about two to three weeks. After this, the splint is changed to another, with a weaker fixation. This state of affairs is maintained for three to four weeks. After the compression bandage is removed, the child is recommended a set of therapeutic exercises, massage, it is necessary to walk using orthopedic insoles.

Surgical intervention is resorted to only in particularly difficult cases.

Treatment of congenital flat feet in children

Orthopedists differentiate between flat feet acquired after birth and congenital cases of pathology. The congenital disease variant is observed quite rarely, but they still happen. Mostly, deformational changes occur in the womb, due to various causes. Treatment of congenital flat feet in children begins with bringing the foot and joints into a normal position and applying a fixing plaster bandage. After seven to ten days, the plaster is removed and, after adjustment, applied again. The therapy is quite painful, burdensome and takes from eight to ten weeks. After the compression bandage is removed, the infant is prescribed special tonic massages and other physiotherapeutic procedures (contrast baths for the feet give a good tonic result). Surgical treatment, in case of congenital pathology, is resorted to only in case of extreme necessity, when it is not possible to achieve the desired effect with conservative methods.

Parents need to very carefully monitor how their baby walks, how correctly he places his foot. After all, the earlier the disease is recognized and treatment is started, the higher the probability of complete recovery and getting rid of the disease forever.

The child is defenseless and cannot always clearly formulate what is bothering him, and the health of their baby largely depends on the attentive attitude of adults. Treatment of flat feet in children is more effective the sooner the diagnosis is made and adequate measures are taken: strengthening the muscles and ligaments that support the arch of the foot, improving blood circulation and lymph drainage are the main milestones in the recovery of a little person.