Due to the prevalence of flat feet among the population, it seems appropriate to study in detail the treatment options possible for the disease. Usually, attention is paid to flat feet in children when symptoms of the disease appear in the second degree. If a leg problem occurs, you will have to be patient. Treatment of grade 2 flat feet, correction of foot deformities and consequences involves long-term and persistent therapy with the patient following the recommendations of an orthopedic doctor. Curing flat feet is a labor-intensive task.
The prerequisites for flat feet are laid in childhood, which means that we will begin to consider the treatment of children with activities carried out at an early age. If, upon examination of children, congenital flat feet are revealed (an extremely rare situation), plaster casts and splints are applied to the children’s legs to give the children’s feet and legs the correct shape.
Natural questions related to the clumsy gait of children and incorrect posture arise among parents when the child reaches 5-6 years of age. Adults are often alarmed by their reluctance to take long walks and children’s complaints of pain in their legs. The first step in diagnosing flat feet in a child is the doctor's prescription of the correct outdoor and indoor shoes with therapeutic insoles and arch supports, selected individually.
Surgical intervention and drug therapy in children for the treatment of flat feet are practically not used. The treatment complex for children includes physiotherapeutic procedures (applications and electrophoresis) aimed at strengthening the ligaments of the foot.
A massage of the legs to improve blood circulation in them is carried out on the feet, always including the legs and thighs. It is required to be used regularly, along with physical therapy sessions. Parents will gradually master some of the techniques, then it is permissible to treat the disease at home.
The exercises are simple and effective when performed regularly:
Mandatory exercises can be performed as a game:
You do not need to choose the types of exercises and the amount of load yourself; only the doctor, taking into account the child’s height and weight, the degree of physical development and the stage of the disease, will solve these problems. Discipline and perseverance cure illness; they will equally help in daily activities.
An important medical recommendation is general hardening of the child, walking barefoot on grass, sand, small stones (not on hard floors!) to restore the damaged architecture of the foot. Daily therapeutic baths (coniferous, with sea salt), dousing the feet with contrasting water, followed by vigorous rubbing of the feet with a towel are included in the set of mandatory procedures.
While practicing at the table, place a massage mat under your baby’s feet; you can buy it or build it yourself by attaching convex objects to the fabric.
Even in the absence of complaints about the legs of children, they are annually shown to an orthopedic doctor for preventive purposes. Children's flat feet are completely eliminated by the age of 13-14, if the disease is treated in time.
If the disease manifests itself during school, most likely it will be the second degree of flatfoot. The legs and spine will have to be treated.
In this case, you need to start with the correct selection of shoes, excluding shoes that are too narrow and other extremes: shoes with high heels and without heels, platforms and too flexible elastic soles. Teenagers are often categorical and unyielding. We have to explain the importance of giving up your favorite shoes.
There are restrictions in choosing a sports section. If you have flat feet, skating and skiing, jumping and weight lifting sections are not recommended. But swimming, especially the crawl style, has a beneficial effect on the formation of the foot.
It is possible to use medications for pain relief and medicinal ointments for rubbing; such treatment is rarely used in adolescents. The rest of the complex of treatment measures is no different from that in preschool age. The best prevention is walking barefoot on the ground for a long time. In summer, it is recommended to make the most of every opportunity.
It is important to remember that it is possible to completely cure grade 2 flat feet only in childhood, when the bone tissue shows pliability. If you postpone treatment until a later date, you will get relief from only a few painful symptoms, the further development of the disease will stop, but in adulthood full function of the legs will not return.
If signs of flat feet appear, it is recommended to consult a doctor to clarify the diagnosis, determine the extent of the disease and identify complications. The doctor will take the necessary measurements and x-rays to determine the procedures and scope of treatment for each specific case.
In advanced cases, with severe foot deformation and dysfunction, surgical treatment aimed at eliminating complications can be expected. With a late stage of the disease, one can no longer count on restoration of gait, posture and complete relief from pain in the legs and spine. It is important to address problems associated with the development of flat feet as early as possible. Adults follow the doctor's recommendations at home. Required:
Each movement is repeated 15 times. If an exercise causes pain, it is excluded from the daily routine.
In addition to the simple exercises listed above, you will need to monitor your shoes - be sure to use therapeutic instep supports to support the arch of the foot and prevent the aggravation of the pathological process.
The patient will have to make a fundamentally important decision about losing weight - without losing weight, one cannot count on reducing the load on sore legs. It is difficult to change dietary habits in adulthood, but health requires it.
It is possible to alleviate the condition of the legs by using drugs locally and internally that relieve pain and improve blood circulation in the legs (especially in the venous bed). Physiotherapeutic procedures are also aimed at reducing pain: electrophoresis, magnetic therapy. Regular medicinal baths with sea salt and oak bark will improve the tone of the foot muscles.
To increase the effectiveness of physical therapy and massage at home, it is recommended to use additional means. For example, in orthopedic salons or Medtechnika stores it is easy to purchase balancing pads and perform exercises while standing on them. The device will provide a therapeutic load on the feet, leg joints and spine.
It is useful to conduct classes while standing on smooth stones 3-7 cm in size, which you can collect during walks or purchase as a related product in aquarium sales departments. When performing work while standing, it is useful to place a needle mat under your feet to prevent flat feet, purchased through an online store.
Not everyone likes going to the dentist, because they are associated with painful sensations. Even a simple inspection can turn into bad news. But modern dentistry does not stand still, and scientists have created a safe and effective method of dental treatment during sleep: sedation in dentistry is widely used to put a person into a state of half-sleep and relieve pain. Surgical procedures and preventive measures in the oral cavity are now painless and without causing discomfort.
We often notice caries on our teeth when it reaches alarming proportions. But periodic medical examinations at the dentist make it possible to prevent the development of enamel destruction and get by with minimal treatment.
However, when caries is detected, therapeutic dentistry https://zyb.com.ua/terapevticheskaja-stomatologija/ comes to the rescue, using a variety of methods to restore and preserve a damaged tooth.
Hollywood stars appear on the red carpet of elite events, attracting attention not only with an expensive and chic outfit, but also with a snow-white smile. Many look at the screens, wanting to also shine in their hometown in front of their friends. For some, an even row of teeth and a snow-white smile will help them find a betrothed or get a desired job. One way to achieve a perfect smile is to correct your bite with clear Invisalign aligners.
The recovery period after rhinoplasty is a long and difficult stage for the patient. In order for rehabilitation to proceed faster, without complications, without undesirable consequences in the form of hypertrophic scars, surgeons can prescribe Diprospan, a medicinal substance with a powerful complex effect on the operated tissues.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by increased bone fragility. We all know that bone tissue is built on calcium, which we get in abundance from food. If there is a lack of calcium in the body, bones become fragile, and even an ordinary blow to any object can turn into a fracture.
Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles should become an integral part of sports training for every woman. The muscles of the perineum and pelvic floor become weak and lose their elasticity over time.
In this regard, the risk of developing gynecological diseases and diseases of the pelvic organs increases. It is possible to keep muscles in order and increase their tone with the help of exercises by the famous gynecologist Kegel.
Excess weight is a problem for many women that they want to eliminate by any possible means. Excess weight brings many problems to everyday life, ranging from bad mood to health problems.
The fight against excess weight is a combination of many methods, which must be applied wisely, adding desire and willpower. You should know in advance how to lose weight so as not to harm your body, taking into account the reasons for the appearance of extra pounds.
The menstrual cycle is a normal process of egg maturation that should occur monthly for every woman. Thanks to the maturation of the egg, a woman has the opportunity to become pregnant and experience the joys of motherhood.
Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons, periods can suddenly stop, which is why the ability to have children is temporarily in question. To cure this disorder, it is necessary to understand why menstruation is absent.
Cellulite is not just fat deposits under the skin, but a disease that results in changes in the structure of the subcutaneous fat layer, which leads to impaired lymphatic drainage. Cellulite must be treated; it appears unsightly on the skin in the form of tubercles, which are called “orange peel”. You should not assume that cellulite is a disease exclusively for overweight women; thin women can also suffer from it.
Complex conservative therapy for flat feet is carried out mainly at home, since the process of correcting foot deformities is lengthy and requires great responsibility and patience. In addition to wearing orthopedic shoes and special insoles, it is necessary to carry out therapeutic massage and therapeutic exercises. Exercises help correct not only the shape of the foot, but also posture, especially in children. How to get rid of flat feet at home using simple exercises, read our article.
Many people think that flat feet are not such a dangerous disease as, for example, arthritis, but in vain. It is flat feet that are not treated in time that can become one of the causes of dangerous health complications. These include such “adult” diagnoses as curvature of the spine, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, arthrosis, and arthritis among others.
Can flat feet be treated and how effective can treatment be? The answer is simple - flat feet can be completely corrected only until the child is 6-7 years old, and in adults it can only be corrected. That is why treatment and correction of flat feet are relevant for adults and children, and therapeutic exercises are a good help in complex therapy.
What can you do yourself at home? These are measures aimed at general health promotion, nutritional correction, walking, classes, exercises and much more.
How to cure flat feet with simple exercises, you ask? To understand what happens during exercise, it is necessary to recall that flat feet are a disease of the entire musculoskeletal system. A load that is not distributed correctly can lead to dangerous diseases in adulthood. And treating flat feet only with shoes or insoles is simply ineffective, since you need to strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the entire leg and lower spine, because the innervation of the foot begins in the lumbar region.
A set of exercises for flat feet (click to enlarge).
While walking:
In a standing position:
In a sitting position:
With your body positioned at a 45 degree angle:
All exercises should be done regularly, for 1.5-2 years, devoting 15-20 minutes a day to this. Each exercise must be done several times.
How to cure flat feet with walking, if in some regions it is only warm for 2-3 months a year? In winter, you can adapt a massage mat for walking. Making a massage mat for flat feet with your own hands is not difficult - just attach small objects (buttons, curlers, glass stones and other small objects) to thick fabric with threads or glue.
Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the key to complete recovery. And therapeutic exercises, carried out regularly, can become an indispensable assistant in successful treatment.
The exercises are well suited not only for children; adults with flat feet will also benefit from doing them, since from my own experience I would like to point out that at one time I performed similar exercises and the result was really noticeable. But the exercises must be performed regularly. Ice skating also gives very good results. This is generally the easiest thing to organize with children, since there are plenty of skating rinks in entertainment centers in every city. Children really enjoy riding, so they won’t even notice the positive effect it will have over time.
There were serious problems with this, it was difficult to choose the right shoes, I had to buy expensive ones, or to order. I applied different ointments and did massages. The most interesting thing is that I got a positive result from the so-called “traditional medicine”. In my free time, I rolled my feet on a regular dough gurney for at least 3 minutes, 10 times a day.
My son has flat feet. And since treatment needs to be done immediately, after consulting with the doctor, he gave a number of simple tasks. You need little time, just 10-20 minutes a day. What he enjoyed most was walking through traffic, but most of all doing it. I also rolled a rolling pin on the floor, children especially like this, and it is advisable to do it as a game. There are noticeable improvements.
I believe that the most important point in treating flat feet is the choice of shoes! Nowadays it has become very fashionable to wear ballet flats or shoes whose quality is unknown. Personally, with this problem, I have to go to specialized stores where they sell high-quality shoes, I wear them with pleasure and have no problems with my feet!)
A surgeon I know gave good advice about flat feet: you can stretch your legs with an ordinary rolling pin and roll it with pressure. And today I also heard a joke on TV: “All military commissars in the country have children born with flat feet)))”
To what has been said, I can also add what are the consequences of flat feet. At the doctor’s appointment, it was said that with flat feet, an “incorrect” movement occurs, which leads to shaking of the internal organs, and subsequently their lowering. What's next no one knows. So, it’s better not to joke with this disease.
I also have flat feet. But I don’t refuse to buy new shoes. You can just buy orthopedic insoles. I walk on the street and at school, and do exercises at home. and everything gets better
And how old are you? I read that after 8 years it is practically impossible to correct it only with surgical intervention! But how does recovery manifest itself for you? After all, I’m also a schoolgirl, and I want Louboutins for graduation!
A very bad site, really in such conditions
and then nothing good will happen without treatment - an incorrect gait is not so bad - improper load on the legs - the result is eternal swelling, stretched ligaments of the legs, improper load on the veins, pain in the legs when walking, deformation of the kneecaps, abrasion of the cartilage layers in them. and these are just the legs, the intestines are even worse, if prolapse occurs, then everything puts pressure on the urinary and lymph nodes and the woman still suffers from stagnation of the pelvic blood flow, there is an accumulation of fluid, a weak outflow of urine and lymph, the result of which is swelling not only of the legs but of the whole body
- which causes increased blood pressure in the body, stress on the kidneys and especially the heart; blood pressure often provokes an increase in intracranial pressure. there is a slow loss of all body functions. and this is a description of the consequences on a healthy body. Imagine what will happen to it if there are already problems.
Flat feet in a child can be avoided through preventative exercises and treatment, which will ensure the child develops healthy feet.
However, it should be noted that you should not treat the child yourself; it is better to constantly visit an orthopedist, and also carry out preventive measures yourself. Running over hills and hillocks, balance exercises, rope or pole climbing, and walking on a log are perfect for such prevention. Moreover, parents should know that surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, linoleum, laminate and other hard surfaces are not suitable for the child’s feet. On such surfaces the muscles do not work, which means they atrophy and sag.
Treatment of flat feet in children should begin immediately. The sooner you start correcting your foot, the better. After all, the sooner you start, the easier it is to revive. Of course, you can achieve effective results at a later age, for example, at seven years old and even fifteen years old. But for this it is necessary to carry out a set of exercise therapy exercises for flat feet in children and update it regularly.
In the first months of a child’s life, weakness of the muscles and ligaments of the feet, as well as the lower legs, should be combated. In this case, massage, physical therapy for flat feet in children and gymnastics, as well as physiotherapy, are simply irreplaceable. It is very effective and useful in the prevention and treatment of flat feet to walk barefoot on natural surfaces - earth, sand, pebbles.
As for massage, parents themselves can do it. The objectives of children's massage include: strengthen weakened muscles, improve lymph and blood circulation, relieve pain in the foot and lower leg. As a rule, massage for flat feet in children is performed in the position of the child on his back and stomach. All toes are massaged, especially the first one, as well as the foot with an emphasis on its inner edge, lower leg, especially its front surface. All massage techniques can be used, but it should be noted that vibration techniques are not used on the front surface of the shin and kneading should be limited. During the massage, it is worth carrying out corrective exercises, in other words, exercises to strengthen the child’s muscles that support the inner arch of the foot, first passive and then active. These are therapeutic exercises for flat feet in children , including: adduction of the foot, turning it inward, dorsiflexion of the foot, sliding movements of the foot of one leg along the shin of the other, picking up small objects with the toes, spreading and sliding the toes, rolling a small ball, squatting on transversely lying stick and others.
I must say that foot massage is a good idea to combine with warm foot baths. Contrast baths (cool baths alternating with warm ones) are also considered very useful. Children's massage for flat feet should be prescribed after baths in combination with therapeutic exercises. In order for the massage to bring as many positive effects as possible, it must be carried out twice a day, morning and evening, devoting at least 10-15 minutes of time.
Children's massage can be prescribed before and after exercise. It is recommended to do a general massage before therapeutic exercises and a light restorative massage within 3-5 minutes after exercises. If a child complains of pain in the lower leg or foot, massage should be carried out at the end of the gymnastics.
Physical therapy for flat feet in children is very important . This kind of physical education can also be done while playing with a child, walking on a rolling pin, reaching for objects with the help of your legs, climbing a wall bars.
From the moment the child reaches one year and after he begins to walk, therapeutic exercises for flat feet in children should increase. Parents need to find a way and teach their child to walk and jump on his toes and heels. You can also walk on the outer and inner edges of the foot, roll an object with your foot, or use roller massagers.
At the initial stage and children under 5 years old, it is not recommended to wear felt boots, soft slippers and sandals with open heels. Also, parents do not need to strive for the child to start walking earlier; they need to suppress the desire of girls to wear high heels with a narrow toe. A useful preventive measure is swimming in the water, and you need to work with your legs as much as possible.
School-age children are best suited for exercise therapy for childhood flat feet, which will be conducted by a qualified doctor. You should also pay more attention to massage of the calf muscles and muscles of the feet, in addition, you can resort to physical therapy, that is, electrical stimulation of the anterior and posterior tibial muscles. If you combine all of the above correctly, you can achieve excellent results in the treatment of flat feet. Well, if the child feels tired in the legs and sometimes even pain, then in this case the help of arch supports will be needed. They will keep your feet stationary, allowing your muscles to relax. However, it should be noted that it is not recommended for children of preschool age (unlike schoolchildren) to use orthopedic shoes or arch supports as a treatment for flat feet. For the reason that the foot is still developing and its fixation can lead to weakening of the calf and foot muscles, and most importantly, a deterioration in their condition.
In general, it must be said that if a child suffers from flat feet, then exercise therapy and therapeutic exercises for children’s flat feet are prescribed taking into account the child’s physical fitness, his age, form and period of the disease. In all age groups, treatment should include physical exercises for flat feet in children (sports), which have a general strengthening effect on the body, as well as special physical exercises and massage that relieve pain, special physical exercises with and without equipment aimed at strengthening muscles , supporting the arches of the foot, and the formation of the depth of the arches.
General strengthening physical exercises for children with flat feet should not overwork the musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the feet. Recommended sports for this disease include those that place dynamic stress on the feet: crawl swimming, skiing, ball sports. Sports activities should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, always observing the principle of gradually increasing the load.
In general, exercise therapy for flat feet in children should be done twice a day: an hour and a half before bedtime or an hour after meals. The duration of the exercises in general should be a maximum of fifteen minutes. If exercises are carried out at home, they should be carried out regularly and the loads should gradually increase, and the purpose of the exercises should be to develop and strengthen the muscles of the fingers, the foot and lower leg. Exercises for flat feet in children are carried out only barefoot and preferably several times a day (in the morning - during morning exercises, in the afternoon - after a nap, in the evening - before going to bed). Parents and, if possible, a physical therapy specialist must monitor how the child conducts classes. It is also necessary to ensure that activities do not cause fatigue and pain in the child.
1. Perform flexion-extension of the feet in a sitting position. Performed in turn, 5-10 times with each foot.
2. Rotate your feet in different directions several times. Performed in a sitting position.
3. Perform the “Swing” exercise - rise on your toes - lower on your heels, and so on up to 10 times.
4. Walking on your toes.
5. Walking on your heels.
6. Stand on your toes and do several half squats.
7. Lift various small objects with your toes: pencils, pens of different thicknesses, small balls, small toys.
8. Try to grab a pencil with your toes and draw something on a piece of paper with it.
9. Spread and move your toes several times.
10. Walk first on the outside, then on the inside of the foot.
1. Perform heel extension and abduction without lifting your toes off the floor
2. Grasp the ball with your feet and lift it
3. Perform maximum flexion and extension of the feet
4. Grab and lift various objects with your toes (pebbles, pencils, etc.)
5. Slide your feet forward and backward using your fingers
6. Squeeze a rubber ball with your feet
7. Gather the fabric rug with your toes into folds
8. Roll the stick with your feet
9. Perform body rotations without displacement
10. Roll from heel to toe and back
11. Perform half squats and squats on toes, with arms to the sides, up, forward
12. Climb the gymnastic wall (you need to stand on the slats with the middle of your foot)
13. Walking on a gymnastic stick
14. Walking on timber with inclined surfaces
15. Walking on a ribbed board
16. Walking on your toes up and down an inclined plane
17. Walking on a foam mattress
18. Walking in place on a massage mat
To prevent flat feet in children, you can buy your child a massage mat and put it in the bathroom. While the child is washing and brushing his teeth (twice a day), let him stand on the mat with bare feet, rise on his toes, roll from toe to heel, and stand on the outer edge of the soles. This will be excellent gymnastics for the feet.
a) In the first month of the child’s life. This is necessary to exclude congenital deformities and skeletal diseases, including congenital flat feet.
b) At 3 and 6 months of age, when rickets can be detected.
c) When the child turns 1 year old. This is an important stage in a child’s life when he sits, crawls, and walks independently. At this time, the doctor checks the correct natural curves of the spine and the range of motion in the joints.
d) At 3 years old. At this time, the orthopedic doctor checks posture, gait, measures the length of the limbs, and examines the condition of the feet.
Starting from this age (from 3 years old), the child and the orthopedist should be visited every year in order not to miss the development of flat feet.
Parents need to remember that flat feet will progress if no measures are taken, but this can be completely avoided and even in advanced cases can be completely cured. In children, as a rule, flat feet develop slowly, and they do not particularly complain of pain in the feet, therefore, in order to prevent the development of more severe deformities, it is necessary to periodically examine the feet of children and, if signs of flat feet are detected, be sure to consult a doctor.
A professional instructor in exercise therapy and therapeutic swimming conducts individual and group classes in Baku. Tel.: (055)827-36-46; (050)451-74-17
Flat feet are far from a harmless ailment. Violation of the anatomy of the foot can lead to serious problems with the spine, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. A child’s foot grows and develops until the age of 7-8 years. Only in adolescence can one say with certainty whether a child has flat feet.
From birth, every baby has a flat foot. Prevention of flat feet is especially important in preschool age, when rapid growth occurs. If no total mistakes are made at this time, the likelihood of developing flat feet will be minimal.
The height of the arch of a person's foot is a genetically inherited feature. What it will be like depends not only on how the parents prevented flat feet, but also on what kind of foot the baby inherited from mom and dad. However, this does not mean that prevention is not needed.
Mild forms and degrees of flat feet can be perfectly corrected with the help of various exercises, properly selected shoes, and massage.
Prevention of flat feet should be done from the very birth of the child. To begin with, it is important to prevent rickets, which contributes to foot disease. To do this, you should follow the pediatrician's recommendations, give the child vitamin D, and ensure that the baby gets enough exposure to fresh air and sunlight.
The baby needs to be seen by an orthopedic doctor at six months and one year. It is clear that he will not be able to say whether the baby has a tendency to flat feet, but he will be able to assess the baby’s development and give recommendations to prevent the development of foot problems.
Prevention falls entirely on the shoulders of parents. There are no special vaccinations against this disease, no “magic” pills that could help prevent the disorder. There is only a normal lifestyle, active movement, the right attitude and understanding of moms and dads about the essence of flat feet and the mechanisms of its development.
The most critical period is preschool age from 3 to 6-7 years. If during this period, associated with intensive growth of bones, muscles, tendons, joints, the right conditions are created for the child, then development will be normal and flat feet will most likely not occur or it will be easy to correct.
The main directions in which parents will have to move are as follows:
The likelihood of developing flat feet in a child whose parents insist that the baby wear slippers or other shoes at home is higher than in a child who runs around the house barefoot from the first steps. This is explained by the natural feature of this part of the body.
None of the children are born wearing shoes; accordingly, slippers, sandals and boots are a requirement of social norms and civilization, and not of nature. A child's feet need shoes only for protection - from water, dirt, frost, and uneven surfaces.
Thus, walking barefoot around the house, and preferably also on grass, earth, sand at an early age, is the first and very important preventive measure.
Since a child cannot go to kindergarten or for a walk without shoes, parents should very carefully study the issue of the rules for choosing children's shoes.
After 1 year, you can introduce a set of exercises to your child on a special massage mat-applicator.
You can buy a one-piece massage mat, or you can choose a puzzle mat, which will be both a fun game for your child and an effective prevention of foot pathology. The rugs are equipped with a special texture - irregularities such as “Shells”, “Pebbles”, “Spikes” and so on. Walking and exercises on squares with different surface textures stimulates different active points of the feet.
Preventative mats are softer than mats for treating flat feet. They are made of elastic materials, walking on them does not cause significant discomfort.
It is important that the child exercises on the mat every day, at least for 20-30 minutes. This will avoid pathological abnormalities in the growth of the ankle and arch of the feet.
If you don’t have a rug, and you don’t have the funds to purchase one, you can make a floor applicator for your child with your own hands. Buttons, shells, large beans, and chestnut fruits are suitable for this. Using a self-made or factory-made applicator, a child and his mother can practice:
Sitting on a chair, the child can make circular movements with his feet, curling his toes, and also pulling his toes towards and away from himself. While standing, lifting on your toes and squats, in which the heels do not come off the floor, are useful.
These simple exercises can be included in daily gymnastics for preschoolers. In most kindergartens, exercises for the prevention of flat feet are included in the list of exercises for morning exercises and physical education minutes.
Effective exercises for preventing flat feet are shown in the following video.
Proper nutrition is of great importance, because a child’s excess weight only contributes to improper formation of the feet, because the load on the lower limbs increases significantly. This does not mean that the child should be put on a strict diet and underfed. There just needs to be enough protein in your baby’s diet. They participate in the formation of tissues. Therefore, a child’s diet must include dairy products, lean fish and meat.
Getting a child to eat jellied meat is not easy. All mothers know about this. But it is possible to teach a child to do this, especially since jellied meat is an excellent food for preventing problems with the musculoskeletal system, joints and cartilage tissue.
The child should eat cereals, fruits and fresh vegetables, butter and vegetable oil, herbs, eggs. Raw food should be consumed 2-3 times more than processed foods.
You should not introduce pure cow's and goat's milk into the diet of children under one year of age. Moreover, there is no need to replace breast milk or formula with whole cow's milk. When taking this product, the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the body changes, a vitamin D deficiency is created, and rickets may begin, which also affects the subsequent development of flat feet.
Parents should take more seriously the requirement to provide their child with essential vitamins and minerals. After all, an excess or lack of nutrients and minerals causes not only problems with the musculoskeletal system, but also more serious pathologies that can be deadly.
In case of calcium deficiency, the child should be given calcium supplements with the permission of the doctor and in the dosage recommended by him.
For general vitamin deficiency - vitamin complexes that are designed specifically for children of a certain age, taking into account the daily need of their bodies for a particular substance.
Foot massage, which any mother can master and which can be easily and simply done at home, will help prevent flat feet. Babies up to one year old should spend a few minutes on their feet during a restorative evening massage, smoothing them with their thumbs in the direction from heels to toes.
Preventive foot massage for preschool children is carried out 1-2 times a week; this can be done in a playful way. The child is placed in a lying position. First, they stroke the thighs and legs, then move on to circular movements of these parts of the limbs.
The greatest attention is paid to the calf muscles, since they are responsible for raising the arch of the foot.
Then the impact is intensified and kneading of the legs and feet is added. It is important that the child does not experience pain during this process. The same techniques are repeated by turning the child onto his stomach and placing a small cushion (rolled up towel or small pillow) under his knees.
When acting on the foot itself, special attention should be paid to the lateral ribs - the inner and outer surfaces, the area where the toes bend. The massage begins with 3-4 minutes and gradually increases the duration of the procedure to 15 minutes. After the massage, it is useful to make a contrasting foot bath that strengthens blood vessels - first immerse your feet in warm water, and then add cold water to it.
To learn how to massage a child to prevent flat feet, see the following video by Alena Grozovskaya.
A pediatric orthopedist-traumatologist of the highest category at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Okhmatdet Hospital, Yuri Rostislavovich Terpilovsky, answers questions from readers of the site.
The diagnosis of “flat feet” is made from the age of 3 years (some authors talk about the age of 5 years). From the name it follows that the foot is flat, i.e. the foot is wide and flattened, and the “wet” print will be the entire width of the foot (without a “notch”).
The diagnosis of “ flat feet ” is made from the age of 3 years (even some authors talk about the age of 5 years). From the name it follows that the foot is flat, i.e. the foot is wide and flattened, and the “wet” print will be the entire width of the foot (without a “notch”). But there are calcaneal-valgus feet, which are visible from birth, as well as the most common valgus feet, which begin to be most clearly visible from the age when the child begins to stand and walk (9-12 months). By the age of 3 years, they most often become flat-valgus, that is, a type of flatfoot.
Flat feet in children under 3 years of age (and according to some authors, up to 5) is physiological, because On the inside of the foot (where there should be a “notch” with age), a fatty “pad” is preserved as an additional shock absorber.
The degree of flatfoot is determined either by a plantogram (footprint) or by an x-ray (but in older children - after 12-14 years).
The most common cause of flat feet is hereditary weakness of the ligamentous apparatus (including connective tissue dysplasia) of the foot and ankle joint, muscle weakness, as well as incorrect (congenital) vertical position of the talus bone in the ankle joint. With the latter, hallux valgus occurs more often.
“What happens, cannot be avoided” if flat feet are hereditary. But correct footwear, sub-correctors (therapeutic or therapeutic-and-prophylactic insoles), physical therapy, and massage will help reduce it, as well as correct it in the early stages.
An instep support is an element of the insole that turns the foot inward (supination). It looks like a pad on the inner surface of the insole.
Modern children's shoes almost always have this element.
It is advisable to buy shoes with a high, hard heel that secures the heel and ankle joint. The sole should be moderately hard, i.e. bend, but with effort. Regarding instep supports: when a child has just started walking, usually instep supports are not needed, because... with normal foot development or mild valgus, the child may begin to “clubfoot” due to arch supports. After 1.5 years, you can buy shoes with a small preventive instep support that will keep the foot in the correct position. It’s also a good idea if your shoes have a small heel of 3-5 mm.
If there are no problems with the feet (and this is definitely confirmed by an orthopedist), then there is nothing to worry about. In case of hallux valgus or flat feet, it is better not to walk barefoot on a flat surface. If the carpets are very fluffy and imitate grass, then you can walk on such a surface barefoot. Naturally, it is better to walk barefoot on massage surfaces (massage mats, scattered stones, small round toys, even large old office abacus will do), and climb a sports corner with a wall bars. In the summer, if you live outside the city, walking barefoot on the ground, grass, sand, and pebbles would be ideal.
It is better not to buy rag slippers at all, or to buy them when you know 100% that there are no problems with your feet. To be honest, if you really like some sandals, then you can wear them “out” on a visit. Open-back sandals are only good in extreme heat, or for walking from your room to the beach.
I have a negative attitude towards sneakers, because... d the ankle joint is not fixed there, the sole is absolutely flat and very soft. It is better to wear sneakers with fixation of the ankle joint (at the same time it will protect against possible sprains) and an instep support. Even if there is no flat foot, it will support the foot in the correct position, i.e. the foot will be better cushioned when running and jumping, and therefore less tired.
After another child, shoes will be deformed to one degree or another. The heel will be worn out and (or) the heel will be bent. The only option is the so-called “study” shoes, in which the child began to walk. Firstly, during this period the foot grows very quickly that the child does not have time to deform the shoes before he grows out of them. And secondly, the child walks little during this period, it doesn’t matter whether he is carried more often or carried in a stroller, and if he needs to get to the goal very quickly, the child will most likely crawl rather than walk.
Any normal balanced diet will be good. Products that are recommended are fish (preferably sea fish), cottage cheese (or hard cheese), and animal jellied meat. Those. these are the components of the skeleton - phosphorus (fish), calcium (dairy products) and collagen - a component of the ligamentous apparatus (jellied meat).
Sports with less running and jumping are suitable. Swimming, horse riding, martial arts.
They often occur together, because... orthopedic diseases often occur in pairs. Flat feet in and of themselves do not cause scoliosis.
And a few parent questions we received for you via email: