Flat feet is a common concern for families and continues to be a debate in the health field.
The foot is made up of several arches, but the one we most often observe is the internal longitudinal arch. The arches were not invented by the architects, they were invented by our wise nature to support the weight of the whole body and distribute the loads harmoniously to the ground. In addition to collaborating in good balance and locomotion. And the architects copied it for structures and buildings as beautiful as the Mosque of Córdoba.
Traumatologist Parra García (2011) asks us: Is flat-valgus foot a clinical situation characterized by the disappearance or non-formation of the plantar arch?
The most current definition is that flat-valgus foot is not a static problem of angulation between the ankle and the foot, in fact, it is a consequence of a dynamic functional change of the lower extremities.
Hayley Uden (2017) carried out a systematic review of 35 articles in order to have universal arch measurement values and decide if a situation is physiological or pathological. The conclusions reached were the lack of consistency in the tools for measuring foot posture and the lack of consensus in the measurements.
What we do have clear is that the foot on the first support is physiologically flat-valgus and that between 7 and 10 years it must be formed. In this development process there must be a progressive line of change. The arch is assembled as the angles of the bones change, especially long bones such as the femur and the tibia.
For this physiological process, we need the baby to come with tissue integrity and neurological quality. In addition to his neurodevelopment living specific circumstances. For example, many hours of prone play, good central stabilization, good integration of lumbar and plantar sensorimotor circuits, ... This way the eccentric tension will shape the bones, the loads will be modified and the foot can have its physiological arc.
So … what does a flat-valgus foot tell us? That it lacks development. And in those we are the TMPI physical therapists, in accompanying the changes and correct maturation.
References
Uden H, Scharfbillig R, Causby R. The typically developing paediatric foot: how flat should it be? A systematic review. J Foot Ankle Res. 2017; 10: 37.
Távara Vidalón P, Lafuente Sotillos G, Palomo Toucedo I, Manfredi Márquez M. Revisión de la efectividad de los soportes plantares personalizados en el pie plano valgo infantil. Rev Pediatr Aten Primaria [online]. 2017, vol.19, n.75, pp.123-131. ISSN 1139-7632.
Parra García J.I, Bueno Sánchez A. El pie plano: las recomendaciones del traumatólogo infantil al pediatra. Rev Pediatr Aten Primaria [online]. 2011, vol.13, n.49, pp.113-125. ISSN 1139-7632.
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