Flexible Flatfoot In Children Research Articles

Effects of lower extremity rotation on prognosis of flexible flatfoot in children.

The aim of this study is to search the effects of tibial torsion on flexible flatfoot. For this purpose, 20 children with flexible flatfoot and external tibial torsion were determined as a study group. The control group which consisted of 10 children with flexible flatfoot without rotational problems was included in the study. Plantar flexion angle of talus, talo-1. metatarsal angle and dorsoplantar talocalcaneal angle were measured on standing foot radiographs. Tibial torsion was measured by computed tomography. Plantar flexion angle of talus and dorsoplantar talocalcaneal angle were found significantly lower in the study group (p<0.005 and p<0.005 respectively), although talo-1. metatarsal angle was not significantly different between the groups (p=.2917). Naviculocuneiform sag was prominent in all cases of study group. In conclusion, abnormal external tibial torsion may affect the foot deformity and this can change the benign nature of the flexible flatfoot.

Flexible Flatfoot in Children

Flexible Flatfoot in Children

Flexible Flatfoot in Children

Flexible flatfoot in children has been thought to be either an anatomic variant related to ligamentous laxity or a precursor to a painful problem with the foot in adulthood that should be vigorously treated during early childhood. Children (N = 129) ages 1 to 6 years who had flexible flat feet in this study were assigned prospectively to treatment with corrective shoes, heel-cups, or a "custom-molded plastic insert," or were assigned as controls. The diagnosis was based on clinical examination (heel valgus, poor arch formation) and radiographic criteria. The children were followed for an average of 3 years; mean age upon entry into the study was approximately 2 years.

Foot-Ground Pressure Pattern of Flexible Flatfoot in Children, With and Without Correction of Calcaneovalgus

The footprint-measuring instrument was used to establish foot-ground pressure pattern of flexible flatfeet in male and female children, aged four to six years. Standing at ease, the children exerted most of their ground pressure by the posterior weight-bearing area (WBA). The rest was distributed between the middle and anterior WBAs, with the middle area usually exerting about 17%, and in extreme cases, as much as 30% of the total foot-ground pressure. Correcting valgus inclination of the calcaneus into neutral by inserting a leather wedge under the medial portion of the heel restored the longitudinal arch and the normal distribution of the foot-ground pressure of the standing child. The middle WBA exerted only 6% of the total pressure. This measuring system can differentiate between a normal foot, a flexible flatfoot, and a rigid flatfoot. It also can measure the exact amount of abnormal pressure being exerted by the middle WBA.

Corrective shoes and inserts as treatment for flexible flatfoot in infants and children.

We performed a prospective study to determine whether flexible flatfoot in children can be influenced by treatment. One hundred and twenty-nine children who had been referred by pediatricians, and for whom the radiographic findings met the criteria for flatfoot, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Group I, controls; Group II, treatment with corrective orthopaedic shoes; Group III, treatment with a Helfet heel-cup; or Group IV, treatment with a custom-molded plastic insert. All of the patients in Groups II, III, and IV had a minimum of three years of treatment, and ninety-eight patients whose compliance with the protocol was documented completed the study. Analysis of radiographs before treatment and at the most recent follow-up demonstrated a significant improvement in all groups (p less than 0.01), including the controls, and no significant difference between the controls and the treated patients (p greater than 0.4). We concluded that wearing corrective shoes or inserts for three years does not influence the course of flexible flatfoot in children.

Flexible flatfoot in children.

Flexible flatfoot in children.