Oh my aching feet ...
I’m pretty sure EVERYONE knows someone with flat feet. Pronation, knee pain, hip pain … flat feet can cause a multitude of problems for an athlete, but surprisingly enough, not many people know the mechanics of flat feet.
The feet, legs, and hips are obviously vital in human movement and motion, and the body likes to keep everything aligned properly, especially the knees and pelvis. Notice how people tend to have many knee problems if their knees are not aligned with their hips (excessive inward or outward rotation of the knees can be quite painful in running, squatting, or what have you).
What does this have to do with feet? Well do this little experiment: lie on your back and stick your legs straight up in the air. Most likely, you will notice that your feet do not align at a perfect 90° angle to your legs, and that this angle keeps your knees in line with your hips. The angle that your feet deviate from the ‘ideal’ foot is specific to each and every person, and usually differs slightly between feet. My feet, for example, are slightly supinated in this position. What this means is that in an ideal world, the ground would be sloped at this specific angle so that my feet would be in their ideal position, and my knees would be aligned with my pelvis.
However, we all know that the ground doesn’t magically conform to make everyone’s feet happy. So in order for my feet to be able to reach the ground, they have to dramatically pronate. Now if you have flat feet, you can also try this: let one of your feet gently roll down onto the ground (without putting full weight on it), and watch what your knees do. They most likely roll inward, because that ideal angle is now lost on the flat ground. Now stand with your full weight on your feet; your knee most likely is better aligned with your hips now. This is because other muscles in your thighs and hips have to actively pull your knees back into place in order to keep the alignment correct. This later develops into painful foot problems, duck feet, hip problems, and general muscle tightness in the upper lower body.
It is important to correct pronation early on, because children are still growing, and can develop major foot problems during adolescence. Excessive pronation during childhood and growth can cause the bones in the leg to grow and fuse according to that pronation, resulting in a duck-foot appearance. Similarly, more serious consequences can manifest themselves later on. Take my story for example: I did gymnastics and soccer growing up in elementary school, but when I started 5th grade, something was not correct with my left foot. I started getting bad pain in my foot when I played soccer and did gymnastics, and it was determined that I had an accessory navicular. Months in orthotics did nothing to help the pain, so I had to get surgery to remove the bone on my arch.
Notice that the tendon that runs over the navicular in this photo:
When a child’s foot excessively pronates during adolescence, this ligament is put under constant stretching. The feet pronate, this ligament has to pull harder, and thus pull on the bones that it attaches to. Because the growth plates in the bones are not yet fused, this constant pulling eventually pulls the bone completely apart, resulting in an accessory navicular.
In short, is it absolutely vital for parents to be aware of their child’s feet in growth and development. I know for me personally, my flat feet have given me more anguish and disappointment during my athletic career than I care to admit. And sadly enough, most of it could have been avoided by early detection and gait analyses. For those of you suffering the plight of flat feet, do not fear! Invest in an intensive gait analysis and some hearty orthotics. Insurance doesn’t always cover it (and it’s extremely expensive), but it’s well worth the price.
Why wait any longer? Go out and get help now! It’s never too late.
http://rizzoizzonator.blogspot.com/2010/01/oh-my-aching-feet.html
The feet, legs, and hips are obviously vital in human movement and motion, and the body likes to keep everything aligned properly, especially the knees and pelvis. Notice how people tend to have many knee problems if their knees are not aligned with their hips (excessive inward or outward rotation of the knees can be quite painful in running, squatting, or what have you).
What does this have to do with feet? Well do this little experiment: lie on your back and stick your legs straight up in the air. Most likely, you will notice that your feet do not align at a perfect 90° angle to your legs, and that this angle keeps your knees in line with your hips. The angle that your feet deviate from the ‘ideal’ foot is specific to each and every person, and usually differs slightly between feet. My feet, for example, are slightly supinated in this position. What this means is that in an ideal world, the ground would be sloped at this specific angle so that my feet would be in their ideal position, and my knees would be aligned with my pelvis.
However, we all know that the ground doesn’t magically conform to make everyone’s feet happy. So in order for my feet to be able to reach the ground, they have to dramatically pronate. Now if you have flat feet, you can also try this: let one of your feet gently roll down onto the ground (without putting full weight on it), and watch what your knees do. They most likely roll inward, because that ideal angle is now lost on the flat ground. Now stand with your full weight on your feet; your knee most likely is better aligned with your hips now. This is because other muscles in your thighs and hips have to actively pull your knees back into place in order to keep the alignment correct. This later develops into painful foot problems, duck feet, hip problems, and general muscle tightness in the upper lower body.
It is important to correct pronation early on, because children are still growing, and can develop major foot problems during adolescence. Excessive pronation during childhood and growth can cause the bones in the leg to grow and fuse according to that pronation, resulting in a duck-foot appearance. Similarly, more serious consequences can manifest themselves later on. Take my story for example: I did gymnastics and soccer growing up in elementary school, but when I started 5th grade, something was not correct with my left foot. I started getting bad pain in my foot when I played soccer and did gymnastics, and it was determined that I had an accessory navicular. Months in orthotics did nothing to help the pain, so I had to get surgery to remove the bone on my arch.
Notice that the tendon that runs over the navicular in this photo:
When a child’s foot excessively pronates during adolescence, this ligament is put under constant stretching. The feet pronate, this ligament has to pull harder, and thus pull on the bones that it attaches to. Because the growth plates in the bones are not yet fused, this constant pulling eventually pulls the bone completely apart, resulting in an accessory navicular.
In short, is it absolutely vital for parents to be aware of their child’s feet in growth and development. I know for me personally, my flat feet have given me more anguish and disappointment during my athletic career than I care to admit. And sadly enough, most of it could have been avoided by early detection and gait analyses. For those of you suffering the plight of flat feet, do not fear! Invest in an intensive gait analysis and some hearty orthotics. Insurance doesn’t always cover it (and it’s extremely expensive), but it’s well worth the price.
Why wait any longer? Go out and get help now! It’s never too late.
http://rizzoizzonator.blogspot.com/2010/01/oh-my-aching-feet.html
