Treatment of flat feet today is an urgent problem, since deformation of the feet in the form of a decrease in height and the cushioning properties of their arches is a very common and, moreover, very difficult disease of the bone and muscle system. Static flat feet, and more than eight out of ten cases fall on it, can irreversibly change the location of the foot bones (and in this area there are about three dozen) with the natural biomechanics of the distribution of body weight on the limbs while walking.
The causes and treatment of flat feet are of interest to many.
In that case, if you do not engage in the treatment of an ailment that pretends to be too fast fatigue of the legs while walking, and, in addition, pain and swelling, the process will begin to progress and thereby reduce the ability to move normally. Also flat feet prevents the vertical position of the spine. Next, let's talk about the main methods of treating flat feet.
The main methods of therapy
Specialists note that the treatment methods for this deviation directly depend on its type, whether it is longitudinal, transverse, combined (longitudinal-transverse) or valgus form.
Today, the possibilities of orthopedics for treating flat feet in adults with conservative methods are limited to massages, physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy and orthopedic insoles. It should be noted right away that there are no tablets for flat feet. The fact is that pharmacological preparations are not able to strengthen the muscles that support the optimal height of the arch of the feet, in addition, with the help of drugs, it will not be possible to eliminate the weakening of the plantar aponeurosis with the Achilles and tibial posterior tendon or give the bones of the feet a normal position.
Feet can become flatter in old or teenage years, and also during pregnancy, in the presence of diabetes mellitus or against the background of high blood pressure. And, of course, with excess weight. Therefore, orthopedic specialists strongly advise obese people to get rid of extra pounds, otherwise the rapid development of flat feet and deformation of the bones and joints of the feet will be inevitable.
It should be borne in mind that the treatment of flat feet in adults can be difficult. As for the therapy of its longitudinal form (the most common type of this pathology), it consists in the prevention of further development of the disease, as well as in the relief of emerging pain.
So, what is the treatment for flat feet?
Therapy of pathology in adults
The main treatment for a disease of the first degree (we are talking about a longitudinal, transverse and combined form), when there are no obvious signs of bone deformation, are physical therapy exercises, massages with warm foot baths with sodium chloride. As for massages, when they are carried out, the ankle joint zone , and, in addition, the calf muscles, is stretched.
Treatment of the transverse form of flat feet, as well as therapy of a combined type of pathology at the initial stage of the disease, is carried out using similar methods. In addition, for all types of diseases of the arch of the foot, ladies need to refuse to wear heels that are higher than four centimeters, as well as shoes that have narrowed socks. It is strictly forbidden to wear tight or trampled shoes.
The treatment of grade 2 flat feet in adults, with the exception of special exercises and massages, includes various physiotherapeutic procedures in the form of paraffin applications, ultrasound phonophoresis with corticosteroids and electrophoresis with analgesics. The last procedure is performed if there is a pronounced pain syndrome. Magnetic therapy is also often performed. In the presence of longitudinal flat feet, when the foot falls inward, it is recommended that the insoles-arch supports be constantly worn for at least eight hours a day.
Treatment of the transverse form of flat feet at this stage involves adjusting the shape of the feet with the help of special cuffs designed for the front, which makes it possible to slow down the process of hypertrophy of the metatarsal bone. In addition, you may need special shoes for the treatment of flat feet, as in the transverse and combined form, discrepancy of the metatarsal bones is observed along with the deviation of the thumb to the outside, as well as an increase in the cartilage between the phalanges of the other fingers.
Shoes for the treatment of this disease should be orthopedic. In particular, it should be worn with pronounced flat feet. Such shoes are prescribed by an orthopedic surgeon after examination. The most effective is orthopedic shoes, which were made by specialists according to an individual order, that is, based on a foot impression.
Treatment of grade 3 flat feet, in which spring, balancing and jerking dysfunctions of the feet are observed, reduces to physiotherapeutic procedures, wearing special shoes, and also to relieve pain that occurs in the region of the ankles, knees, hips, lower back and back. With this severity of flat feet, orthopedic surgeons sometimes take up the matter. The treatment methods for flat feet are constantly being improved.
Orthopedic Insoles
In addition to regularly performing special exercises and massage, treatment of the valgus form of flat feet (a longitudinal form of pathology) includes the use of special orthopedic insoles along with wearing shoes with arch support and high backs. Such measures will help to restrain the divergence of the feet and will correct the emphasis characteristic of this disease on their inner sides while walking. Orthopedists, this variety of flat feet refers to birth defects that are associated with genetic weakness of the connective tissues of tendons and ligaments, including.
By the way, therapy of a congenital form of flat feet, which is noted in no more than three percent of cases and is diagnosed very difficult, is carried out in the field of clinical orthopedics by the above methods, which help strengthen the ligaments and muscles.
Flat feet with arthrosis and its treatment
Since the feet, in the presence of flat feet, do poorly with their immediate function - depreciation, cartilages of the hip and knee joints experience a significant proportion of the upward dynamic loads that appear during walking. Joint cartilage may not withstand overloads that are not characteristic of them, and then degenerative and dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue occur, that is, arthrosis. Following this, deformation of the bone tissue of the joints can occur. With the development of transverse flat feet, people often develop arthrosis of the joints of the toes. Arthrosis of the joints of the metatarsal bone also occurs.
Continuing to use insoles and arch supports, as well as engaged in physical therapy as much as you can, you also have to start flatfoot therapy with arthrosis. In most situations, doctors prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to patients that relieve pain with inflammation in the joints. The following agents are used for local use: ointments with Diclofenac, Ketonal and Ibuprofen gels. These funds should be applied twice a day to the skin in the area of the affected joint.
Treatment of longitudinal flatfoot is carried out by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inside. Among these drugs, drugs are prescribed in the form of "Diclofenac", "Ibuprofen", "Tenocida" and so on. Diclofenac is taken orally before meals, one tablet three times a day. Ibuprofen is taken 200 milligrams three times a day. As for the Tenocutyl capsules, they are taken 20 milligrams once a day. When an exacerbation occurs, two capsules can be used once a day for two days. And then, in the next five days, again take one capsule per day.
The joint pains that arise as a result of flat feet are removed with the help of compresses with Bischofite, which are done at night. They must be performed every day for at least two weeks. And for rubbing into the area of the affected joints, the drug “Dikrasin” is used, 20 drops each. This is done daily for two weeks.
For the treatment of arthrosis in the presence of flat feet and other pathological processes in cartilage, the so-called chondroprotective drugs are used. Among them, it is worth mentioning funds in the form of "Arthron Flex", "Teraflex", "Chondroitin" and so on. Teraflex capsules are prescribed by orthopedists three times a day for the first three weeks of therapy, and then one capsule twice a day. The duration of the treatment course should be at least two months. In order to restore cartilage in the joints, chondroprotectors are prescribed for injections. Among the commonly used drugs are Alflutop, Sinokrom and Sinvisk. Now consider the prevention and treatment of flat feet in children.
Therapy of ailment in children and adolescents
According to children's orthopedists, effective therapy is possible up to the age of six, since the formation of the feet is complete by this period.
In the first few years of life in absolutely all children, the feet are longitudinally flat, and this is normal. In this regard, it is possible to make an accurate diagnosis of flatfoot no earlier than three to five years, however, to detect obvious congenital pathologies of the motor apparatus, orthopedists must examine newborns during the first month of life, as well as at one year old and at the age of three. By the way, the congenital valgus form of flat feet is determined early enough when the baby stands up. Thus, when a three-year-old child cannot stand a forty-minute walk and persuades his mother to take him in his arms, then it is time to consult an orthopedist.
The treatment methods for flat feet in children do not differ from those used for adults, therefore, orthopedists also focus on physiotherapy exercises, massages and wearing the right shoes. Properly selected shoes for the baby should have a rigid back that fixes the heel to the full height, an elastic-hard sole with an instep support is no less important. This also applies to summer shoes. But, as orthopedic experts advise, children should have shoes without arch support for up to two years.
It is equally important to wear insoles for flatfoot therapy, the specific type of which should be prescribed by an orthopedic surgeon. Correction of the arch of the feet along with the cessation of its subsidence in childhood is achieved due to the fact that orthopedic insoles make it possible to more physiologically position it and distribute the load in the right way while walking.
Parents should keep in mind that it is at preschool age that measures taken to treat flat feet in children can have the most positive effect. Because in childhood, muscle elasticity is higher, and the process of development of muscle innervations itself has not yet been completed. In turn, the ratio between muscles and tendons allows through targeted physical action to strengthen the ligamentous apparatus of skeletal muscles.
Treatment of flat feet in adolescents, which is carried out on the principles already described, makes it possible to more or less correct the defects of the arch of the foot. According to many orthopedic specialists, in their teens they will not be able to completely eliminate the formed, and even more so inherited flat feet. The main reason is that the foot is already anatomically formed, but it still continues to grow like any other skeleton bones. The joint and ligamentous apparatus, along with the ratio of muscles and tendons that are inherent in adults, are established by the age of fifteen.
Symptoms and treatment of flat feet in children are also related.
Surgery
Surgical treatment of this pathology is considered a way out in the presence of complex deformity of the feet, which prevents walking. Surgical operations on the feet are classified as complex manipulations, and achieving a positive result, that is, restoring the anatomical height of the arch of the feet with its functions, is not guaranteed. Here are some of the most frequent surgical operations in the treatment of flat feet:
- Perform corrective osteotomy of the metatarsal bone is performed in the presence of transverse flatfoot of the first and second degree.
- Corrective sphenoid resection of the first metatarsal bone is carried out in the presence of transverse flatfoot.
- Performing fixation in a state of immobility of the wedge-shaped joint is carried out in the presence of an external deviation of the first finger against the background of transverse flatfoot.
- Conducting tendon-muscle plastic of the transverse arch of the feet is performed in the presence of transverse flatfoot.
- Reconstructive tendon repair is performed in the presence of transverse flatfoot.
From the above list it is seen that the surgical treatment of this pathology in most situations is related to transverse flatfoot. And this is no coincidence: according to medical statistics, patients with this type of pathology make up more than sixty percent of those who sought medical help on flat feet.
Consider the treatment of flat feet at home.
Home Therapy
Home treatment for this disease, that is, the direct implementation of medical prescriptions at home, is not much different from the treatment of many other diseases. The only thing that cannot be done at home is physiotherapeutic procedures. The rest of the treatment for this disease does not require any medical qualifications, since everyone can master the massages with physiotherapy exercises. The main condition is patience, along with perseverance and the belief that everything will work out.
Foot baths with the addition of salt are made at the rate of a tablespoon of substance per liter of water. The temperature of the liquid should not be higher than 42 ° C. The duration of this daily procedure is from fifteen to twenty minutes.
Treatment of flat feet at home involves stimulation of the reflex points of the feet, which is carried out while walking barefoot in the summer on the grass, sandy shore or sea pebbles. And in the cold season, a massage mat can be used to strengthen the muscles of the feet in children. You can buy it or make it yourself from improvised materials by sewing buttons on any thick fabric, or you can stick dry beans with sea stones.
The treatment of flat feet in adults at home is not limited to this.
In addition, you can buy a massage roller, but wooden scores cleaned in a closet are also suitable . Of course, it’s nice to have a massager for flatfoot therapy at home. These are usually mechanical, compression, roller or vibration. However, according to the reviews of patients suffering from flat feet, no simulators can replace manual massage.
Of course, it is better to go to a medical massage therapist, and then do it yourself, as the main massage techniques for treating flat feet are quite simple:
- The feet are massaged from the ankles to the groin from the bottom up in the form of stroking, patting and rubbing.
- You should also massage your feet by rubbing in a circular motion.
- The arch of the feet should also be massaged with a comb of knuckles during compression of the hand into a fist.
- Alternately massage the heels.
Each foot should be given no more than five minutes. Such a massage will not take much time. It is worth noting that it should be done daily and best of all in the evenings. Doing exercises to treat flat feet should be done at least twenty minutes twice a day.
Special gymnastics
Treatment of flat feet in adults at home involves special exercises. All exercises to strengthen the ligaments in the presence of flat feet are performed only barefoot. First, they do exercises while standing: they walk on toes, and then on their heels. Then they move, placing their feet on the inside. The next exercise is that while standing, they roll the feet from socks to heels, and then in the opposite direction up to twenty times. ( , ). , . , , . :
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There is also a recipe for ointment for joint pain based on table salt and mustard powder, which is mixed with a small amount of kerosene to a state of medium-thick slurry. Such an ointment by folk doctors is recommended to be used at night, it must be rubbed into a place above the joint until it is absorbed.
Here is another recipe for ointment: take dry St. John's wort with yarrow and sage, grind everything in a coffee grinder and mix with petroleum jelly. Smeared twice a day. After that, you need to warmly wrap the joint.
Human feet, due to their vaulted structure, perform an essential function in the walking process. In this case, the feet are the most lifting elements of the supporting and motor apparatus of a person. Therapy flat feet makes it possible to minimize the excessive load on the region of the lower extremities and the spine, and therefore, maintains the supporting structure of the whole body.
The importance of prevention and treatment of flat feet
It should be emphasized that the problem of flat feet is today the subject of many scientific studies. For example, studies by a number of American orthopedic specialists have shown that in the samples of tendon tissue that were obtained during operations, the content of the proteolytic enzyme, which is able to break down elastin with collagen (the main proteins of the connective tissue), was increased in adult patients with acquired flatfoot form. It is possible that, in the end, one can still find in reality an effective treatment for the symptoms of flat feet. In the meantime, as part of the prevention, people should lead a healthy lifestyle, which should be accompanied by feasible physical activity and exercise. As for women, they are advised to abandon high-heeled shoes in order to avoid various diseases of the legs and feet, including.
We examined the causes, prevention and treatment methods of flat feet.