Flat foot and high arch
Flat foot & high arch
A flat foot/high arch often doesn’t cause any complaints in everyday life year after year, but it is noticeable. This deformity can also affect the natural movement of your footIf the deformity is extremely pronounced, has occurred recently or has worsened or started to cause complaints, these are always reasons to have the foot medically examined.
Our foot surgeons at Schoen Clinic have many years of experience in treating flat feet and high arches. Your feet are in the best hands with us.
Causes & symptoms
What do we understand by flat foot/high arch?
The terms flat foot and high arch are initially used to describe the external appearance of the foot in a neutral way.In the case of a flat foot, the longitudinal arch of the foot will appear to have sunk. This can lead to a tilting of the heel or forefoot towards the instep. The foot is more or less solidly on the ground.
A high arch can be recognised by a high instep and high longitudinal arch, which can lead to a tilting of the heel towards the outstep. The high arch increases the likelihood of the ankle joint twisting. In extreme cases the midfoot is twisted, meaning that you can only roll it over the outstep.
Causes: how does a flat foot/high arch occur?
Causes of a flat footHaving a flat foot is a normal transitional stage during childhood development. It has two causes. On the one hand, children have thicker padding under the soles of their feet in comparison to adults. On the other hand, the muscles that raise the foot arch aren’t as strong yet.
In rare cases, the foot does not rise up to age 6. If this occurs, you should have your child’s feet examined.
The most common cause of flat foot in children and young adults are loose capsular ligaments, connected with muscular weakness. If the foot has poor mobility, atypical connections between the individual tarsal bones may be the cause of the flat foot. In rare cases, the individual bones are incorrectly positioned from each other.
Sometimes, beyond the age of 40, a flat foot will increasingly develop or an already present flat foot will significantly worsen. This can be traced back to a dysfunction of the posterior tibial tendon. This tendon normally raises the longitudinal arch of the foot, ensuring a stable gait. Wear frequently occurs in this tendon.
Causes of a high arch
High arches are present from birth in most cases, but paralysis of the leg muscles can also cause deformity. Additional potential causes include disorders of the central nervous system or spinal cord.
High arches are present from birth in most cases, but paralysis of the leg muscles can also cause deformity. Additional potential causes include disorders of the central nervous system or spinal cord.
Symptoms: potential symptoms
Mild flat feet or high arches don’t have any symptoms in the majority of cases and do not require further treatment. Increasing pain in the inner ankle in combination with a flat foot may indicate excessive strain of the posterior tibial tendon. If the heel keeps tipping down towards the outstep, additional pain may occur in this region. In the case of a high arch, you’ll mainly feel pain on the outer edge of your foot. You might frequently roll over your ankle and have more skin calluses on the outer edge.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis: examination of the foot deformity
If the deformity is causing you pain and symptoms, clinical examination will be required. In this examination, our specialists will first check the positioning of your foot under full strain. Your heel tipping towards the outstep is an indication of a flat foot; if it tips inwards, this indicates a high arch. If the longitudinal arch rises well when tiptoeing, the deformity is generally harmless. If the longitudinal arch no longer rises as normal or if you can’t stand on your tiptoes any more, this is a sign of a dysfunction of the posterior tibial tendon.If you can no longer lift the outer edge of your foot due to a high arch, the peroneal tendon, which stabilises the outer edge of your foot, may be damaged. The disorder has already progressed far in this case.
In a clinical examination, we’ll also check the stability of your ankle joint, particularly the outer ligaments. Imaging procedures, such as X-ray examinations, will then be carried out for a precise diagnosis.
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