In children and adolescents, flat feet is quite common. If you pay attention to the pathology - you can get rid of it easily. In youth, joints and bone tissue are in the process of growth, so up to fourteen years of age the therapy is relatively easy. How to fix lateral flat feet in adults is a difficult question, and most often it is impossible to do this. In some cases, it makes sense to try to alleviate the pain and complications that accompany this pathology.
Causes of flat feet
There are two types of flat feet - longitudinal and transverse. In case of illness, the foot loses its shock-absorbing properties and thereby increases the load on the spine and legs. As a result, the functioning of the vestibular apparatus is disrupted, the coordination of movements changes, spinal diseases develop and severe pain in the legs and back can begin. How to fix flat feet? In some cases, this cannot be done (if the patient has reached adulthood or the disease has reached the final stage), but symptoms can be alleviated.
Reasons for the development of pathology:
- obesity and overweight;
- non-physiological shoes;
- high physical activity on the feet;
- rickets in children;
- lack of calcium;
- pregnancy;
- sedentary lifestyle.
The set of symptoms characteristic of the disease
The following symptoms are characteristic of the disease:
- tiredness and pain in the legs after walking;
- gait disturbance;
- pain in the back and legs;
- clubfoot;
- loss of normal coordination of movements;
- difficulties with performing some physical exercises;
- ingrown nails;
- seed growth on the feet.
Varieties of treatment: a list of effective measures
How to fix flat feet in adults? This is harder to do than in children. In youth, joints and bone tissue are in the process of growth, so up to fourteen years of age the therapy is relatively easy. It is enough to perform daily foot massage and buy special orthopedic shoes for the baby. In most cases, you do not even have to resort to physiotherapy exercises.
How to fix flat feet in adolescents and adults is a difficult question, and most often it is impossible to do this. The listed measures can help only at the very initial stage of the disease, and in adults it is most often at least the second. In any case, compliance with flatfoot therapy measures will help alleviate the manifestation of pain in the back and legs, which is already a lot for a sick person.
The list of treatment methods for flat feet:
- constant use of orthopedic shoes ;
unhurried walks in running sneakers;
some types of physical activity;
exercise therapy exercises;
baths to relieve fatigue and pain.
Massage with flat feet
How to fix flat feet with massage? Of course, it is better to be done by a professional. But the services of modern masseurs are quite expensive. It is quite possible to learn the skills of therapeutic massage and do it yourself.
In the process of various massage techniques - stroking, rubbing, patting, etc. - blood circulation is enhanced, and this brings recovery faster. If we talk about home massage, then massage mats and specially designed massagers will cope with this role.
Choosing the right shoe
Perhaps one of the most important points. Do not save on shoes. Specialized stores offer medical shoes for flat feet for both children and adults. Its cost is slightly higher, but it is usually sewn from quality materials.
Can flat feet be corrected with shoes alone? For a child under six, this is usually enough. For adults and adolescents will also have to resort to the use of physiotherapy exercises and massage. Even after a complex exposure, no one will guarantee that an adult will undergo both transverse and longitudinal flat feet. Most often, you can only alleviate the symptoms.
How long can you walk with flat feet?
This question worries many orthopedic patients. The main condition for walking is to make them in the right shoes. Ideal professional running sneakers.
Walking a distance further than five kilometers in ordinary non-orthopedic shoes will inevitably lead to the development of pain in the ankle.
The recommended distance for walking in orthopedic shoes with flat feet is about two to three kilometers.
If you can walk barefoot on the ground, sand or water - this is wonderful! The main thing is to make sure that there is no broken glass and other sources of possible injuries and cuts on the surface.
What types of sports load are allowed with flat feet
How to fix flat feet in a child using sports? Firstly, do not give it to strength training. The optimal sport for foot pathology is swimming. Secondly, you should not do athletics, especially running and jumping.
For adults, this rule is also true. Moreover, when doing weightlifting, even in healthy people, flat feet can partially form. It is very important to choose high-quality barbells - these are special shoes for weightlifting sports.
Is it possible to run and jump to people who have been diagnosed with flat feet? You should do this carefully, do not run more than one kilometer and abandon intense jumps, aerobics and plyometric exercises.
Physical exercise exercises
Is it possible to correct flat feet in a child with the help of exercise therapy? Yes, this method is one of the most reliable. The main condition is to be good - you have to do it every day, at least for twenty minutes.
How to fix flat feet at home in an adult? Exercise exercises also come to the rescue. They are simple, but this is no less effective.
- Rolling. Bare feet should roll balls of different sizes on the floor. In this case, it is necessary to use not only the fingers, but also the heel and the notch. For kids, you can diversify the exercise: use balls with LEDs or music.
- “Log”: lay a thin rope or narrow log along the floor and walk on it with bare feet. Perform for five to ten minutes.
- "Bike". To perform this exercise, you need a stationary bike or a real bike. You should pedal with bare feet.
- Pour small pebbles into the box and trample on it with bare feet for several minutes. Some parents make several such boxes for their children - one with pebbles, the other with sand, the third with spruce needles.
Baths to relieve fatigue and foot pain
Bath recipes that perfectly relieve foot fatigue after a long working day:
- Mix one tablespoon of mint and nettle, pour half a liter of boiling water. Let it brew for an hour, during which time the infusion will just cool down. If necessary, dilute a little with cool water. Take a bath for half an hour.
- Boil a glass of chopped zest of orange or grapefruit in half a liter of water for ten minutes. After the infusion becomes room temperature, lower the feet into it. Sit like this for twenty minutes.
- Boil dry crushed inflorescences of linden and chamomile (200 grams) for five minutes in half a liter of water. If desired, you can add citrus or peppermint essential oils to the finished infusion. Dip the feet in water after the infusion has become acceptable to the skin temperature. The total length of time for taking such a bath is about twenty minutes.
Drugs that help reduce pain with flat feet
All of the above measures may be ineffective if an adult has the third stage of the disease. In this case, it remains only to use methods to combat flat feet only in order to mitigate the manifestations of pain and fatigue in the legs. Pharmaceuticals will also help.
- "Diclofenac" - removes any kind of pain after twenty to thirty minutes after taking the pill.
- "Indomethacin" - acts similarly to "Diclofenac", is also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent.
- Ointment "Neovit" will give the feet relaxation, relieve tension and relieve pain.
- Ibuprofen tablets is one of the fastest, safest and most affordable painkillers.
- "Paracetamol" - will help relieve pain in the ankle and at the same time relieve heat, fever, fever.
Prevention measures: what to do so that the pathology does not develop
Effective preventive measures (it is always more effective to prevent the development of an ailment than then to look for how to correct flat feet):
- prevent the development of obesity and not gain excess weight;
- during pregnancy, do special exercises and foot massage;
- from time to time drink vitamin-mineral complexes with calcium;
- give preference to high-quality shoes with physiological insoles;
- if you suspect the development of foot pathology, you need to order insoles-arch supports in a pharmacy;
- every evening do yourself a therapeutic foot massage;
- not to allow physical fatigue, not to zeal in the gym, not to bore yourself with athletics marathons.