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.
Violation of the position of the bones, changes in the condition of the ligaments, muscles, and bone joint angles lead to deformation of the foot and the development of flat feet. Orthopedists, developing an effective set of special exercises for adolescents, came to the conclusion that treatment of the disease should be carried out comprehensively.
Orthopedists were able to successfully develop an effective set of special exercises for adolescents with flat feet.
Comprehensive treatment for flat feet may consist of all or several of the following measures:
Surgical intervention is recommended only in extreme cases, when a teenager is diagnosed with stage 3 of the development of pathology with pain syndrome.
Regardless of the complex of procedures performed, specially designed exercises will help to achieve maximum effect in the treatment and prevention of flat feet. For self-prevention of flat feet, there are a number of standard exercises that every teenager can do. However, in order to achieve positive results and ensure good recovery dynamics, the exercises must be performed systematically.
When choosing exercises for classes, it is necessary to take into account the age and sports training of the patient, and the type of flatfoot.
Experts note that even with systematic exercise, the process of treating pathology can drag on for years, or even not bring results at all.
Therefore, to ensure maximum effectiveness of therapeutic exercises, it is necessary to exclude the causes of development:
A lack of vitamin D provokes the development of rickets, which affects the appearance of flat feet.
There are 3 types of flat feet:
The main signs of the development of pathology in a teenager are:
The main sign of the development of pathology in a teenager is clubfoot.
To correct the situation, experts have developed a special set of exercises for teenagers that need to be performed using a gymnastic stick.
A set of exercises for longitudinal flat feet
Only an orthopedist should create a set of exercises when diagnosing a longitudinal type of disease. Only he can correctly prescribe the order of exercises in accordance with the development of the disease, the severity of the pathology and the individual characteristics of the patient.
To treat the longitudinal type of the disease, experts recommend performing exercises aimed at developing finger motor skills.
So, for example, to treat a longitudinal type of disease, experts recommend performing exercises aimed at developing finger motor skills.
A set of exercises for transverse flat feet
Among the many well-known simple exercises, the most effective for treating transverse flatfoot are:
Experts recommend combining exercises for flat feet with therapeutic massage, which relieves muscle tone, normalizes blood circulation, metabolism and restores deformed feet.
Experts often recommend combining exercises for flat feet with therapeutic massage. Massage is a unique tool for relieving muscle tone, normalizing blood circulation, metabolism, and restoring leg deformities.
A teenager can perform a foot massage independently. The technique of the procedure is very simple and consists of kneading, stroking, rubbing the sole and fingers.
To prevent a teenager from suffering from flat feet, experts recommend following the following preventive measures:
If you do not take preventive measures and refuse treatment, flat feet will develop quickly. Listen to the complaints of teenagers, diagnose the disease at home, and start treatment in a timely manner.
Exercises for the treatment and prevention of flat feet.
WE HEAL FLAT FOOT professionally WITH A DOCTOR in 10 minutes a day!
Friends and blog guests, hello! All adults care about the health of their children and grandchildren. A massage mat for flat feet for children is the most affordable and widespread for the prevention and treatment of foot problems when they begin to walk. Let's learn a few simple exercises on it. Let's get to know what you can make it from with your own hands. We will discuss all these subtleties of the issue in this article.
Everyone remembers how our grandmothers in the village forced us to run barefoot. Pebbles, sand, and grass perfectly massage the feet, helping them to form correctly. But now the conditions of many children are far from rural; in a big city, not every parent will allow them to walk barefoot, believing that objects that can hurt themselves are hidden in the grass and sand.
An orthopedic massage mat can replace natural surfaces, creating an imitation of unevenness.
Often no effort is required for exercise; daily walking on the mat is enough, which will be a good prevention of flat feet. It can also be great entertainment and a simulator for developing fine motor skills.
Everything is good in moderation. This saying applies to all orthopedic devices. Despite the undoubted advantages of using a massage mat for flat feet for children, its contraindications should be taken into account when assessing the benefits and harms.
It is difficult to overdo it with exercises; the main thing is to comply with the minimum conditions. It is important to warm up your feet before the massage. You can just walk barefoot on the floor and run. If the child complains of pain or discomfort, the activity should be stopped immediately.
At the beginning of the development of flattening of the foot, specialized exercises are required to correct the incipient changes. Convexities on the mat will help restore physiological norms, affecting excessive pronation of the foot, i.e. its inversion outward or inward, more precisely varus or valgus.
Repeat all exercises for 3-5 minutes.
Try to organize gymnastics into a game, this will help your child stick to the lesson time, and he will be happy to do it every day.
This type of gymnastics has an intensive effect on foot disorders and helps strengthen the muscle corset. Recommended time is 6 minutes.
For feet with combined flat feet, special gymnastics should be selected.
Regular exercise has a beneficial effect on the condition of the arch of the foot and the health of the child in general. Physical exercise also helps develop coordination.
Of course, for treatment it is better to use a specialized mat purchased at an orthopedic store. But it’s enough to do it using improvised means.
What materials can be used:
It can be made using only one material, or combined to obtain original massage equipment.
For the base you need thick cardboard, a rubber bath mat, or use old thick jeans. It is better to glue the “bulges” with reliable liquid nails so that they do not fall off at the most unexpected moment.
All exercises on a massage mat must be performed only under supervision!
And if you don’t have free time, you can easily order it here.
Congenital forms of the disease are extremely rare. Therefore, timely preventive measures help strengthen the feet and prevent the development of the disease.
In addition to self-massage, it is important to choose the right shoes for children. It should not be on a completely straight sole, it should be well supported and have an anatomical insole. The ORTHOGID orthopedic store has a large selection of shoes and insoles for the treatment and prevention of flat feet.
The store offers orthopedic accessories not only for shoes, but also for a variety of rugs.
Let your child walk barefoot at home. If the floors are cold, then replace the house slippers with regular or down socks.
Nutrition plays an important role in the formation of the musculoskeletal system. A balanced diet with the necessary content of calcium, proteins and vitamins ensures proper metabolism and development of the body.
This is where I end the article; it can be noted that a massage mat is necessary for the child’s health, taking into account the fact that you can not spend money on it at all, but make it yourself.
This concludes the article. Subscribe to updates. And listen to a cool cover performed by my son.
Based on 2014 data alone, as a result of preventive examinations, orthopedists found that about 40% of patients suffer from flat feet. And the point is not that patients are in no hurry to seek help, but simply cannot detect the disease in the early stages.
Children most often suffer from flat feet
According to statistical studies, most often school-age children and adolescents (mainly girls with a frequency of 1:10) suffer from flat feet.
Going to school, walking or morning jogging - our life consists of constant dynamic loads. It becomes so commonplace that we don't even think about how complex mechanisms occur during each step.
Movement is an active process that is determined by the work of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system.
This process involves more than 200 different muscles, several dozen joints and ligaments. In addition, the entire process is carried out strictly in a certain sequence and in a coordinated manner.
During movement, a very strong load is placed on the foot
The foot takes on the maximum load while walking, so it has a unique anatomical structure that allows it to bear the weight of the body. So, in the foot of a child and an adult there are three groups of bones:
All bones are connected to each other by joints or tightly held together by ligaments. Thus, the ankle, talocalcaneal, and calcaneal-cuboid joints are of greatest value for walking. But this is not the main feature that allows you to cope with loads.
You've probably noticed that if you walk on a horizontal surface with wet feet, your foot print remains incomplete. This is done thanks to the arches of the foot, of which there are 7 pieces. The arches of the foot are a group of transverse and longitudinal ligaments that tighten the foot and give it an arched shape.
The arches of the feet allow you to absorb the load
Their main task is to absorb the load on themselves. That is, when you step on the surface with your foot, the ligaments are stretched, but as soon as you begin to remove your foot, the load immediately turns into work and facilitates the work of the muscles.
The essence of flat feet is that the longitudinal (pull the foot from front to back) and transverse (pull the feet to the sides) arches are weakened and the foot is flattened. The shock-absorbing function suffers, so walking becomes difficult, and soon large joints, muscles and ligaments suffer, as a result, planovalgus feet develop in children.
There are two main types of flat feet: congenital and acquired. The first type is associated with various genetic abnormalities (disorders of connective tissue development, etc.) and such a child will have other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Longitudinal flatfoot is most often observed in children.
In children, in most cases, longitudinal flat feet are observed.
Causes of acquired flat feet:
In the early stages it is very difficult to suspect the disease, since the child will not show significant complaints. But the first thing parents should do when they discover flat feet in a child:
The first signs of flat feet in children:
In turn, the following types of flat feet in children are distinguished:
During development, a number of physiological changes occur in the child’s body, the constitution, proportions change, body weight increases and much more.
All this suggests that the intensity of loads changes at different age periods, which should be taken into account when treating and diagnosing flat feet.
Attention! In a 1- and 2-year-old child, flat feet are normal, since the arches have not yet formed. As soon as the baby begins to walk independently, the correct anatomical shape of the foot will begin to be established. In addition, physiological flat feet in a 3- and 4-year-old child can be observed due to the fact that the depression of the formed arch is filled with adipose tissue. This is why this disease is very difficult to diagnose at an early age, so treatment begins late.
It is very difficult to identify flat feet at an early age.
Already at the age of 5, the load on the foot increases significantly, while the tone of the muscles of the foot and lower leg increases, which contributes to the formation of longitudinal and transverse arches. Thus, flat feet in a 5-year-old child can be detected (at 2-3 degrees of severity). As a treatment at this age, parents are recommended to perform therapeutic exercises and foot baths.
When a child reaches preschool and early school age, this diagnosis can be made with a greater degree of probability.
Firstly, the child begins to complain of fatigue in the limbs and pain that occurs in the late afternoon. Secondly, flat feet in children 6 and 7 years of age are much more treatable, so it is better to make a diagnosis at this age.
By the age of 10, a child’s foot is practically no different in structure from an adult’s. The key factors that provoke flat feet in children aged 10 years are excess weight and increased physical activity. To prevent the disease, you should adjust your diet and limit your exercise.
In order to determine flat feet, you just need to take a very simple test. Lubricate the feet with fatty cream, then let the child stand on a piece of paper. A foot print remains on it, where you need to pay attention to the inner contour. Normally, it should be rounded outward (curve of the foot). A straight line is drawn along the protruding points from the big toe to the heel, and a perpendicular is lowered in the area of the greatest bend of the foot. If the size of the foot in the narrow part of the foot is less than 2/3 of this line, then this is considered normal, and if more, then flat feet can be suspected.
The first step towards identifying flat feet is a simple test.
Otherwise, flat feet in children may be indicated by disturbances in the child’s gait and posture, deformation of the fingers, feet, wear of shoes along the inner edge, fatigue during exercise, etc.
However, many of these symptoms can be observed with obliterating endarteritis, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, as well as with myodystrophic changes, so the final conclusion will be made by a specialist.
The following diagnostic methods are used:
You should not put off going to a specialist for a long time, because further progression of the disease leads to structural changes in the lower extremities. In particular, let's find out why flat feet are dangerous in children: posture is disturbed, herniated intervertebral discs can occur, foot valgus in children can develop, arthritis and arthrosis can develop.
If a specialist makes a similar diagnosis in the early stages, then you can limit yourself to conservative measures, medications and physiotherapy. It should be noted that painkillers (NSAIDs) and steroid drugs do not eliminate the cause of the disease, but only hide the symptoms. Meanwhile, the destructive effect on other organs and systems does not stop.
Effective methods for treating flat feet in children without surgery:
You can add soda, sea salt, oak bark or sage, etc. to the water.
The procedure is repeated 3 to 5 times, followed by a foot massage;
For an example of a set of exercises for flat feet, see the video:
Read more about shock wave therapy treatment here...
Also, some experts note the effectiveness of acupuncture, hirudotherapy, mud applications and electrophoresis. But gymnastics and physiotherapy will not always help treat valgus flatfoot in children, so you have to resort to various operations:
Moreover, advanced developments are used all over the world to treat flat feet in children: the Ponseti method, the Dobbs treatment course, Wikler’s recommendations.
Recommendations for treating flat feet in children at home:
You can do simple exercises at home in the form of a game
Experience shows that success in the treatment of flat feet in children is determined, first of all, by the interest of parents. Only an integrated approach, regular examinations by a specialist and daily exercises will help protect your child from this disease.
Our foot performs an important shock-absorbing function; when moving, it softens the amplitude loads of body weight. This property is achieved thanks to the ligaments that form the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot.
When the designated structures are stretched, they cease to perform their functions and a pathology called flatfoot occurs. The disease is a frequent and pressing problem in modern orthopedics. This disease can and should be treated, and the method of choice for early stages is wearing special shoes.
What shoes should different categories of patients wear for flat feet?
If flat feet are in an early stage, it is not necessary to wear orthotic devices. It is enough to choose the most physiological boots or shoes suitable for correcting the pathology.
Often people suffering from orthopedic pathology wonder: is it possible to wear sneakers with flat feet? It all depends on the specific shoe model. It is necessary to choose sneakers that are specifically designed for people with flat feet. But even such models should not be worn constantly; they are intended for physical exercise.
Sneakers for patients with flat feet can be used for training. However, it is worth saying that running on a hard surface is contraindicated with this disease. No sneakers can compensate for impacts on a hard asphalt surface. This type of physical education is only possible if you run on special surfaces or soft ground.
The choice of model, of course, depends on the gender and age of the patient.
How to choose shoes for women with flat feet? When choosing, you need to focus on several rules:
Women diagnosed with flat feet have a difficult time because they need to maintain a balance between beauty and health when choosing shoes. It is worth emphasizing the second point, since the final stages of flat feet can no longer be fully corrected.
It is somewhat easier to choose models for pathology in adult men. When choosing boots or shoes, give preference to the following features:
You should choose shoes and boots made of genuine leather; it ensures sufficient gas exchange with the environment.
Certain features need to be taken into account when choosing models for children. Unlike adults, a child’s foot can be easily corrected. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right shoes for children.
Consider the following recommendations:
It is advisable to show the selected model to an orthopedist. In addition, periodic examinations by a doctor are mandatory. This condition is the key to preventing the progression of the disease.
Already at stages 2–3 of the disease, the doctor may recommend wearing orthopedic boots. Such models are made specifically for the characteristics of feet with irregular arches.
Orthopedic shoes for flat feet have the correct insoles and are selected individually. Modern models may not differ in appearance from ordinary boots. A significant disadvantage may be the price of the product, but you should not skimp on your health.
In addition to choosing the right model of boots or shoes, you need to fulfill several more conditions for a successful recovery. These include the following rules:
The correct choice of shoes is one of the conditions for successful treatment of flat feet. If difficulties arise, you should contact your doctor. A specialist will help you find a way out of the situation.
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One of the most effective ways to combat flat feet in children is physical therapy. It is quite possible to do it at home, the main thing is to understand the basic principles. Exercises for flat feet in children are aimed at strengthening the muscles of the foot (plantar and dorsum), lower leg, improving blood circulation and mobility in the ankle joint.
One of the reasons for the development of flat feet was that children stopped running barefoot on the ground, where there are many natural irregularities, sticks, and stones. Modern children walk without shoes only on a flat floor or carpet in the apartment. The leg muscles do not receive the necessary load, weaken, and develop incorrectly, which leads to flat feet.
The sooner parents notice signs of the disease in children and begin to perform a set of exercises, the easier and faster the correct formation of the foot is restored. Even if the orthopedist said that your baby is fine, you can do exercises for flat feet in children.
Materials needed for exercises for flat feet:
It is important to remember that gymnastics for flat feet for children should be organized in an interesting playful way, then the child will enjoy doing it every day. This rule even applies to teenagers, who are usually difficult to get to do exercises. Competing to see who can quickly put objects into a box with their toes or “write” a word more smoothly is much more interesting than doing regular exercises.
If you have a sports corner, then to correct flat feet it is useful to climb the wall bars barefoot every day. Some of the exercises can be done outside, on the way home. To prevent flat feet, encourage your child to climb stairs on the playground, walk along the curb, along a drawn line, and ride a bicycle. In summer, take off your child's shoes and let him run on the grass or sand. This method protects most village children from flat feet.
The sooner you begin correcting or preventing flat feet, the more confident you are that your child will have a healthy musculoskeletal system.
Childhood is an important period during which the foundations for the health of many body systems are laid. But, if parents pay attention to various viral and infectious diseases, then less attention is paid to the health of the legs. Meanwhile, such an omission can cause the development of flat feet - a rather dangerous deformation of the foot. At the initial stage, correctly selected orthopedic mats will allow you to cope with the detected deviation.
With flat feet, the musculoskeletal system is subjected to additional stress, which often leads to the development of chronic ailments. An adult, as a rule, understands the degree of danger. But parents do not always pay enough attention to the timely diagnosis and prevention of flat feet in children. But at this age, ordinary mats for the prevention of flat feet, available in almost any pharmacy, can often cope with it.
Flat feet, which may seem harmless at first glance, can seriously worsen a person’s quality of life. The result of the deviation is a violation of the shock absorption of the foot, which leads to a whole range of disorders. The disease is considered one of the main causes of the development of scoliosis, arthrosis of the joints, and various diseases associated with increased load on the feet in particular and the musculoskeletal system in general.
Due to the high amount of cartilage and connective tissue, the fragile musculoskeletal system in children is capable of stretching and bending until the age of six. Therefore, before reaching this age, it makes no sense to take measures to treat or prevent the disease. Moreover, such measures can even harm the healthy legs of children under six years of age.
As a result of the constant pseudo-therapeutic bending effect on the foot, the cartilaginous structures of the feet can stretch and lengthen. When ossification is complete, some metatarsals may become irregularly shaped due to the above actions. The result is increased stress on the musculoskeletal system and associated diseases.
It is possible to diagnose actual flattening of the arch of the foot no earlier than the child turns six years old. Signs of flat feet in the feet of infants and newborns are not explained by pathology, but only by the presence of a fat pad on the foot.
Flat feet are a very common foot deformity that poses many threats to the health of the body. Its danger lies in the fact that the disease develops gradually, imperceptibly at first, but after some time it becomes irreversible.
An orthopedic mat for children against flat feet often becomes the first preventive remedy that is prescribed after diagnosis in childhood. For many parents, it becomes a discovery that a design that is simple at first glance can somehow help cope with such a serious problem. Usually they trust more in various gymnastic exercises against flat feet, preventive massage and similar medical techniques. Meanwhile, mats that allow for the prevention and treatment of curvature of the arch are often a more effective and convenient means.
There is one important feature that is relevant for massage and medical gymnastics - the low efficiency of a single procedure. Children as young as six years old do not realize the danger of flat feet and do not perform the exercises as diligently as required. The massage is also carried out for a strictly measured time, and the load on the curved arch of the foot continues all day.
A special mat for flat feet at home allows you to regularly carry out preventive and restorative measures. He will massage the baby's feet, activating the restoration processes in him throughout the entire time he plays on it. And it does not require a hospital visit as is the case with massage and gymnastics.
Special mats, developed as a preventive and therapeutic remedy for flat feet, are a much more complex product than it might seem at first glance. It is not always possible to select a suitable rug on the spot on your own. Only together with an experienced doctor, after diagnosing the condition of the arch of the foot, can you choose the optimal mat option. The reason is that there is no “one size fits all” option for treating all types of bowed feet. It is important to choose a rug that is most suitable for the child. And this becomes possible only after a diagnosis is made and the condition of the foot is clarified at the time of visiting a doctor.
There are two main product options:
Before purchasing a massage mat you should:
If desired, you can make a rug yourself from available materials. Cereals, pebbles, buttons, plastic lids and other similar materials that will not harm the baby’s feet are suitable for this. By alternating hard and soft elements and attaching them to an ordinary piece of dense fabric of sufficient size, you can get a good analogue of orthopedic products.
You should carefully choose a massage mat for flat feet to treat the arch of the foot, since the development of pathology in children is slightly different. Factors that create this difference include children's mobility, dietary patterns, heredity, and a number of other key factors.
To maintain and strengthen the health of children's feet and the normal arch of the foot, it is enough to spend about twenty minutes walking on a mat every day. The most effective option is considered to be an orthopedic puzzle. It is a set of several rugs with different patterns, which significantly expands the range of product effectiveness. In addition, such products consist of alternating soft and hard squares. Soft zones allow you to relax the tissues of the foot, and hard zones effectively prevent flat feet.
Prevention of foot diseases should be carried out in the form of a game. In this case, children willingly engage in daily activities, allowing them to eliminate the threat to their health. Options for exercises that need to be done to treat and prevent curvature of the arch of the foot are selected individually.
To prevent flat feet, it is best to use a set of exercises recommended by your doctor, based on the results of the examination. Only in this case, no individual characteristics of the development of the baby’s musculoskeletal system will be able to influence the result.