Fallen Arches – Causes and Treatments

Fallen Arches – Causes and Treatments

When looking at your foot from the inner side, you should see a curve in the middle. This is where the arch of your foot is located. Various tendons in your foot and lower leg all create the arches in your feet. Through pulling, they form a normal arch. When they aren’t pulling enough or improperly, there is a small arch or none at all. This is when you have what is known as flat feet or fallen arches.

Symptoms

Signs of having fallen arches can include:

  • Swelling on the bottom of your feet towards the arch area.
  • Pain and aches in the heel and middle of your feet.
  • Tired feet.
  • Pain in your back and legs.
  • Moving your feet to perform tasks such as standing on your toes is painful and difficult.

Causes

A variety of factors can lead to developing fallen arches:

  • Genetic abnormalities that are present at birth
  • Stretched or torn tendons
  • Damage or inflammation to the posterior tibial tendon (PTT). This tendon attaches to your lower leg and runs to the middle of the arch of your foot.
  • Bone damage, including fractures and breaks.
  • Dislocating bones.
  • Nerve damage.
  • Health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

There are other things that may increase the chances of developing flat feet, including storing excess weight, aging, having diabetes, and becoming pregnant.

Treatment

fallen arches treatment
The primary goal of treatment is to correct the way the foot is functioning. When you have fallen arches, your feet compensate for the incorrect gait in other ways. Treatment plans, when needed, serve to help control how the foot is meeting the ground and correct it, returning it to normal. They also help to support the arch to stop it from falling and encourage regular movement in the foot overall.

Sometimes, fallen arches may not require any treatment at all. If they do not cause you any pain or discomfort, then you may not need to do anything to address the issue. If, however, you do experience issues related to having flat feet, your doctor or a podiatrist may recommend these treatment options:

  • Rest your feet to ease some of the pain.
  • Stretch your feet.
  • Take pain-relieving medicine to reduce inflammation and discomfort.
  • Receive anti-inflammatory injections in the foot.
  • Attend physical therapy sessions.
  • Obtain orthotics, braces, or shoe inserts to modify the gait and how the foot hits the ground.

If the pain you are experiencing cannot be addressed by using these methods or the damage has become severe, a surgical procedure may be necessary to correct the issue and repair the foot. These procedures may include modifying the shape of the bones in your foot, adding tendons to your foot to assist in pulling to shape a proper arch, and removing spurs or bony growths.

If you’re experiencing any of these signs of fallen arches, all you require is the best podiatrist in Toronto. In case you have any other foot care concerns, don’t hesitate to contact our foot clinic today!

You might also want to check our related posts:

1) Comfort Stride Running With Fallen Arches

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