Your feet are designed to bear the weight of your entire body. They carry a lot of tension during standing, walking, running, jumping and other forms of physical activity. In short, a healthy foot anatomy is crucial. Some people have arch issues that cause pain, discomfort or walking problems and must be corrected by lifestyle change, custom orthotics, physical therapy or surgery. We will discuss two types of arch issues here: Flatfoot and high arches.
What is the foot arch?
The arch is the part of your foot between your heel and the ball of the foot. It helps absorb shock from strenuous physical activity, equally distributes weight along the foot and helps with balance.
Flatfoot Disorder
Flatfoot occurs when a patient does not have a significant arch in one or both feet. When a patient suffers from flatfoot, they may experience:
- pain in the feet and ankles
- pain when walking
- leg cramps
- changes in how they walk.
While having flatfoot is normal in infants and toddlers, flatfoot in adults can be caused by aging, diabetes, injury to the foot or ankle, obesity and more.
Treatment
There are a few treatment options for patients with flatfoot. Lifestyle changes such as wearing proper footwear with custom orthotics, exercising with proper form and maintaining a healthy body weight can help ease the effects of flatfoot. For more serious cases, physical therapy, medication or surgery may be required.
High Arch
Another type of issue is a high arch, which is when the arch is too high and does not contact the ground evenly. This can lead to:
- Pain in the heel and ankle
- Problems with posture
- Plantar fasciitis
- Claw toes
- Hammer toes
- Difficulty balancing
Treatment
You can treat high arches with proper footwear and custom orthotics, physical therapy, stretching and exercising, and maintaining a healthy body weight. Similar to flatfoot disorder, high arches may need to be corrected with physical therapy, medication or surgery.
Our foot and ankle specialists will do an evaluation of your feet in different positions to determine your particular arch issue and determine the best course of action for you. Contact Hampton Roads Orthopaedics Spine & Sports Medicine to request an appointment.
