You have a lot resting on your feet. Your feet bear the brunt of thousands of steps per day, and if you have flat foot pain, this can be particularly problematic. If you have this pain, you may experience soreness, swelling, aching, discomfort and more. Flat foot pain is caused by, you guessed it, flat feet.
Lifestyle Issues with flat foot pain:
Flat foot pain could be really affecting your quality of life. You may not be able to do the active things you once could. Maybe you are unable to spend time with loved ones outdoors, or just feel burdened having to deal with pain in your feet all of the time. Additionally, while obesity can contribute to flat feet, the reverse is also true. Flat foot pain could be a cause of obesity, since you can’t be active and could potentially gain weight due to the pain in your feet. Regardless of what you can’t do, if you are experiencing flat foot pain it is likely affecting your quality of life to some degree.
Pain Symptoms and Complications:
Specifically, flat foot pain can appear in the following ways:
- Pain in the arches and heel areas
- Feet that get tired easily
- Swelling on the bottom of your feet
- Difficulty moving feet
- Back Pain
- Leg Pain
- Knee Pain
- Neck Pain
Avoiding treatment can lead to other issues, such as these and more:
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Arthritis in feet and ankles
- Posterior Tibial Tendonitis
- Shin Splints
Possible treatment options:
Your next concern is likely – How can my foot pain be treated? There are several options for flat foot pain treatment ranging from at home remedies to surgical procedures. What you will ultimately need depends on your unique situation, but the following treatments are common for flat foot pain:
First are non-surgical methods. These include arch supports, custom orthotics, resting and avoiding activity, icing your feet, and pain medication. These treatments may bring relief in some cases, but some methods (such as pain medication) really only treat the symptoms and not the causes.
When non-surgical treatments fail to work, another method of dealing with flat foot pain is reconstructive surgery. These surgeries are done to reconstruct the foot bones and arch structure, and usually require local or general anesthesia. Recovery time for reconstructive foot surgery can take up to one year.
Another option is a minimally invasive surgery where a corrective stent is placed into the natural space between the ankle & heel bone. This is an outpatient procedure, and less complicated than surgical reconstruction. In most situations, healing is a lot quicker than surgery and patients can often bear weight on their feet the same day of the procedure.
