Correction of flat feet has certain goals:

strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the foot;
protect the entire body, and especially the spine, from overload;
prevent the development of complications – arthrosis of the small joints of the foot, deformities of the fingers and diseases of the spine.
You can make the muscles and ligaments of the foot work normally with contrast baths, massage, gymnastics, walking on uneven surfaces.

In the evening, you can hold your feet in a hot bath with infusion of chamomile or sea salt, as well as coniferous extract – all these products have a tonic effect. If, after such a procedure, pour cold water on your feet or wipe them with a piece of ice, fatigue will pass. Before pouring it is useful to massage the feet. To do this, you must first simply stroke them, and then knead them with an effort with your thumbs or even your fist. Walk from heel to toes along the inner edge of the foot, in the middle and along the outer edge (it needs to be kneaded especially vigorously).

With flat feet, gymnastics should be spent at least 10 minutes a day.

To prevent flat feet and to alleviate the condition of sick or tired feet, you need to purchase 2-3 massage mats and put them in those places of the apartment where you are most often. Several times a day, stand on the mat with bare feet and do the following movements: rise on your toes, roll from toe to heel, stand on the outer edge of the foot. At the dacha, in the village, try to walk barefoot on the ground, wet grass, on stones, even if at first it is not easy. Pay attention to your gait: try to put your legs parallel, and when walking, lean on the outer edge of the foot.

Arch support insoles return the foot to its normal position and take on the functions of a shock absorber. Sometimes a heel pad is also used (it is needed when developing heel spurs, and also if one leg is slightly shorter than the other). At the slightest sign of deformity of the big toe, the interdigital corrector will help – a small soft spacer made of silicone, which is inserted between the first and second toes, so that the big toe can no longer deviate towards the little finger.

The most common type of flat feet is mixed, so most arch supports have elevations both on the inner edge and at the base of the toes. Some arch supports have a few more recesses and a side on the outer edge – it prevents the foot from slipping. Outside, most arch supports are covered with leather, leatherette or so-called foam materials. For pointed shoes, special model semi-insole arch supports have been developed, without a front part. They are suitable, by the way, for any shoes, as they additionally unload the forefoot. Although this is of little help to those who like to walk in high heels.

When the blood supply to the legs is impaired (for example, in diabetes), the feet become especially vulnerable, and flat feet develop at an accelerated pace. Especially for diabetics, arch supports without seams were created, covered on top with a soft material – plastazot. Diabetic arch supports are designed to provide maximum safety to the feet.

Children under 4 years of age have a physiological fat pad on their feet, and if you make an imprint of such a foot, you can see a seemingly flattening, which is not actually flat feet. Another reason misdiagnosed is X-shaped legs. The foot in this case seems flat, but if the foot is placed strictly vertically, then the print will be normal. But from the age of 5-6, parents can independently notice some irregularities in their child. Clubfoot, deviations of the feet outward or inward when walking or standing may indicate flat feet. To confirm your suspicion or to reassure yourself, you need to examine the child’s shoes – whether they wear out on the inside of the sole and heel. At an older age, the child himself will express his complaints, according to which flat feet can be suspected – when walking, the legs quickly get tired, pain appears in the calf muscles, on the sole in the arch of the foot. Sometimes the pain radiates from the sole through the ankle to the thigh, creating signs of sciatica.

However, one must take into account the fact that the child’s foot grows rapidly, so shoes need to be changed often. In adolescents with severe flat feet, accompanied by severe pain, treatment begins with the application of plaster casts. After the disappearance of pain, orthopedic shoes, massage, gymnastics are prescribed. And only if all this did not lead to anything, an operation is possible.

With pronounced flat feet, a teenager will need to think about choosing a profession, not associated with prolonged walking or standing.