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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
You have flatfeet when the arch on the inside of your feet is flattened, allowing your entire foot to touch the floor when you stand up.
A common and usually painless condition, flatfeet may occur when the arches don't develop during childhood. In other cases, flatfeet may be caused by an injury or from the simple wear-and-tear stresses of age.
Flatfeet can sometimes cause problems in your ankles and knees because the condition can force your ankles to turn inward and this throws off the alignment of your legs. If you aren't experiencing any pain, no treatment is usually necessary for flatfeet.
- Adult (acquired) flatfoot. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00173. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Flexible flatfoot in children. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00046. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Murphy GA. Pes planus. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/180182820-3/944384454/1584/610.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03329-9..50082-9--cesec1_4255. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Hosalkar HS, et al. The foot and toes. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/180346655-3/944709937/1608/1570.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50675-7--cesec22_12336. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00166. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
- Chorley J, et al. Clinical features and management of foot pain in the young athlete. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 26, 2010.
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