Pediatric flatfoot is one of the most debated conditions when it comes to deciding whether treatment is necessary or beneficial to avoid. It is not uncommon for doctors to disagree on when to avoid or prescribe treatment, which can be confusing for the parent. What we do know is that children are almost universally flatfooted when they start walking due to a large fat pad underneath their arch. However, as children begin to grow this fat pad decreases and some of the arch structure becomes apparent. At this stage there are two different styles of flatfoot with one being flexible and the other being rigid. Flexible flatfoot can further be divided in to symptomatic (with pain) and asymptomatic (without pain) flexible flatfoot. At this stage, generally in the age range of 5-8, a Pedorthic assessment can help establish which style of pediatric flatfoot your child presents with.
