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The disease is classified according to the degree of flatfoot. There are three in total:
1. First. The flatness of the foot is not clearly expressed. Deformation has not yet occurred. There is pain and fatigue in the legs, weakness of the ligaments, and a slight change in posture.
2. Second. There is a flattening of the foot and a lowering of the arch to 2.5 cm, a heavy gait, and painful sensations in the feet, ankles and lower legs.
3. Third. Significant deformation of the foot. Headaches and lumbar pains, swelling and excruciating pain in the legs occur even after short walks.
In order not to worry in vain, you can check whether there are reasons for concern yourself. A simple sheet of paper is enough for this. You need to stand on it with your bare feet. To get a clear print of the foot, it must be wetted and lubricated with cream or gouache. When standing on paper, you need to straighten up. Once you receive the print, analyze it. To do this, draw a line connecting the extreme points of the inside of the foot.
A line is drawn through the narrowest point of the print, perpendicular to the previously drawn line. Now let's look. If the width of the foot at the narrow point is equal to or less than the empty space on the line, then everything is fine. Otherwise, we can talk about flat feet. The wider the foot at its narrowest point, the higher the severity of the disease. However, it is difficult to determine flat feet in children under 4 years of age using this method. Babies have a fat pad on their feet that may show flattening, which is not a disease.
Timely treatment of flat feet in children gives positive results. But treatment for adults helps to weaken the negative manifestations of the disease and slow down its development. Restoring a deformed arch of the foot is impossible. However, you need to know how to treat flat feet to stop the disease from progressing. Today the following procedures are used:
· medicinal baths, compresses;
It's good to have a massage mat for home treatments. It increases blood circulation and stimulates bioactive points.
How to treat transverse flatfoot? This question worries many patients. Flat feet is a disease of the foot, a change in its shape. At the same time, the relief of the sole changes, the foot sometimes becomes so flat that all its points come into contact with the touching surface. Severe flat feet are grounds for refusing to draft young men into the army.
There are varieties of this disease. The human foot has two arches: longitudinal and transverse. They play a very important role - they help maintain balance and serve as a shock absorber when walking. That is, the main function of the foot is springing. And if for some reason the muscles and ligaments weaken, the main function is lost. This is where flat feet arise.
Mostly, people aged 35 to 50 years suffer from transverse flatfoot. In children it does not occur very often; in men it is more often the cause of injury. Mostly overweight women over 35 years of age are affected. From this we can conclude that excess weight is one of the causes of this disease.
The cause of flat feet can be the constant wearing of uncomfortable, poorly made, inappropriate shoes.
In women, it can occur due to constant wearing of high-heeled shoes.
The disease can occur as a result of old injuries, fractures, sprains. Hereditary predisposition plays an important role. Often the disease occurs in people who, due to the nature of their work, are forced to constantly be on their feet.
Oddly enough, people who have a “sedentary” profession suffer from this disease. The reason for this is the lack of stress on the legs. As a result, the foot muscles weaken. Thus, the main causes of transverse flatfoot are insufficiency of the ligamentous apparatus and weakening of the muscles of the arch of the foot.
Flat feet can also be noticed upon external examination: with a strong form, the foot changes - the big toe sometimes bends so much that it appears to be above the second, and a so-called “bone” appears. The middle finger becomes deformed due to excessive load.
If you stand on a dry floor with wet feet, the outer part of the foot will normally be imprinted. If the entire footprint remains on the floor, then this indicates flat feet.
There are three degrees of transverse flatfoot:
If transverse flatfoot is not treated on time, it is fraught with unpleasant consequences for the entire body. Here are some of them:
Treatment of transverse flatfoot is carried out by an orthopedic doctor after diagnosis. If flat feet are mild, they can be treated conservatively. Treatment is aimed mainly at suppressing pain and stopping the progression of the disease. There are special orthopedic devices - insoles with bolsters, special orthopedic shoes.
Massage, warm baths, and physiotherapy are used to relieve pain. There is a whole range of exercises to strengthen the foot muscles and reduce pain.
You can do self-massage of the feet - rubbing, stroking, squeezing the foot with your fingers or fist. To alleviate the condition, use warm foot baths with sea salt, decoctions of medicinal herbs or essential oils.
It is impossible to cure transverse flatfoot with conservative methods. You can only stop its development. And if the process has already gone too far, the only way out is surgery.
During it, the cartilaginous growth at the base of the thumb, which is called the “bone,” is cut off. After this, the bone straightens and the big toe is in the correct straight position. Then the bone is fixed with a special tape.
Surgery is almost always effective and the disease is completely cured. Of course, there are cases of repeated surgery, but this is only due to non-compliance with doctors’ recommendations.
Of course, it is impossible to cure flat feet with folk remedies. But you can alleviate the condition, reduce pain and stop the progression of the disease.
Traditional medicine offers various compresses for treatment. For example, with wormwood. In this case, the leaves of the plant are applied to the feet and tied with a warm cloth.
To reduce pain, use the following mixture: lemon juice, two aspirin tablets and a three percent iodine solution. Mix everything and make compresses.
Traditional medicine recommends the use of sea salt baths. In this case, the salt is dissolved in warm water and the feet are immersed in it. After half an hour, wipe dry and apply cream. You can also use contrast baths. Alternately immerse your feet first in cold water and then in hot water. You can add various herbal infusions to the bath water, for example, oak bark, sage, mint.
At home, you can also use special exercises for the legs, which strengthen the muscles of the foot and help prevent the further development of flat feet:
Transverse flatfoot is unpleasant and dangerous, but it can be prevented. Prevention of flat feet should begin as early as possible. In children, flat feet can be successfully treated, since the child’s muscles and ligaments are not yet formed, and the disease can be treated conservatively.
But it is better to prevent it than to treat it. From early childhood, a child should wear comfortable shoes. The same applies to adults.
Prevention of flat feet includes:
It is important to remember the main thing: transverse flatfoot is not a death sentence. You can get rid of it forever by surgery, you can stop its development using a conservative method, and if you correctly follow all the doctor’s recommendations, the quality of life will not deteriorate.