Children with Flat Feet - Do they need to be treated?
Over the last decade, journals specializing in the medical care of the foot are very definite about the need to treat the abnormally flat-footed and pronated foot after age 3. The term pronation refers to the angulation below the ankle, which some parents have referred to as a "turning out of the ankle". It has been noted within the literature that the flatfoot and pronated feet can produce bunions and hammertoes if left untreated. A corrective device (orthotic--prescription or non-prescription) cannot permanently change the structure of the foot but can prevent certain deformities when the child is older (in most cases) from becoming worse.
Most parents remark that after their child wears these devices (which can be changed from shoe to shoe), they walk straighter and play with less clumsiness and awkwardness. In my opinion, orthotic devices are the best conservative treatment for flat feet in children.
