Podiatry and Physiotherapy can manage your child’s flatfoot condition with insoles

Helen Crawford, podiatrist at the Osteopathy and Podiatry Centre Singapore addresses common concerns and inquiries amongst many parents residing in Indonesia: The flatfoot in Children. We know that majority of children between 1-5 years of age have flat foot and could potentially outgrow this and develop a normal arch. So when does this condition become of concern?

Podiatrists are medical specialist who help with problems that affect the feet or lower legs, Podiatry is a great field that really blends well with the conservative rehabilitation setting. Sometimes, surgery is necessary but really working with a podiatrist in conjunction with a physiotherapist can help in managing some conditions that don’t warrant immediate surgery.

Known as pes planus, this is a condition in which the entire sole of the child’s foot contacts the ground. Flat feet occurs when the foot’s arch either fails to develop or collapses.

Most children with flat foot have no symptoms but some may complain of:

• pain, tenderness or cramping in the foot, leg and knee
• outward tilting of the heel
• difficulty with shoes
• awkward walking
• reduced energy when participating in physical activities

When to visit a podiatrist?

It is not necessary to get a doctor’s referral to visit a podiatrist. Children as young as 18 months of age visit the podiatrist, especially when there is pain, complaints, clumsiness, and fatigue when walking. Additionally, some parents bring their children to the podiatrist if there is a genetic history of foot problems.

Steps at the podiatrist

1. History- taking

   • A full medical and social birth history
   • Activities
   •  Type of Footwear
   • Family history with foot/knee problems

2. Physical examination

• • Static examination
  • Muscles tests
    • Strength
    • Range of Motion
  •  Gait Analysis

3D Foot Scan using iPad

How to obtain insoles

Insoles are custom made in a lab in Australia

• On the first appointment, a 3-dimensional scan of the foot is taken.
• A custom prescription will be drawn taking into consideration:
  • Weight
  • Age
  • Type of footwear
  • Activities
• This prescription is sent to a lab in Australia where the insoles are made and returned in 2 weeks.
• For the first pair of insoles and the first time using a pair, patients are encouraged to visit the podiatrist for the fitting.
• Last in children for 12-18 months
• If children are younger than 6 years of age, they need to come in once every 6 months. If the child is older than 6 years old, he/she needs to come in once a year

Sample of Insoles

Further details

For more details on physiotherapy for flat feet, visit our website. If you need more information on insoles for children, click here

If your flatfoot is in a sever stage, you may have to consider surgery. Please see our interview with Dr Kannan for more details on surgical options for flatfeet.

How to make an appointment?

To schedule an appointment with Helen Crawford, you can follow this link to make an online appointment, or call +65 6734 4236

If you would like our Physiotherapists in Dharmawangsa Square to have a look first, you can schedule an appointment directly as well.