Often, children have flat feet, which has a negative effect on the entire body. He definitely needs to be treated. The most effective way to do this is through exercise. What exercises will help get rid of flat feet, read the article.
What is flat feet?
This is a disease in which the arches of the foot are flattened. This disrupts the mechanics of walking and develops complications in the joints of the knees, hips and spine.
Flat feet (foot deformity) can be observed in children from birth. The statistics are disappointing. By the age of eleven, half of the children suffer from this disease.
Causes of flat feet
It is impossible to unambiguously name at least one reason. Various factors influence the development of flat feet:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Overweight body.
- Excessive load on the lower limbs. First of all, these are sports that require a lot of energy.
- Weakness of the muscles and ligaments of the foot, which is transmitted to the childfrom parents.
- The consequences of diseases such as cerebral palsy, polio, rickets, which cause paralysis of the muscles and ligaments of the foot.
- Injuries of varying degrees.
Signs of flat feet
Because parents are in close contact with their children, they may notice some changes in walking, or the child will tell about it. Signs may be as follows:
- Clubfoot during walking when the child tucks the feet inward.
- Steps not on the whole foot, but only on its inner edges.
- The child refuses long walks. He explains this by the fact that he has pain in his legs and back when he walks.
- The surface of the heels when wearing shoes is uneven, that is, they are trampled differently: much more on the inside.
If your child develops any of these signs, see a doctor.
Foot without pathology
The physiology of the structure is such that normally the foot should rest on three points located in the area of the little finger, thumb and heel. These points are interconnected by ligaments, muscle tissue and tendons, which are combined into arches. Depending on the location, the vaults are:
- Longitudinal - run along the edge of the inside of the foot.
- Transverse - connect the bases of the thumb and little finger.
When the disease begins to develop, flattening of the arches occurs. Feet with flat feet in this case have a different pointsupport, which becomes the middle part of the sole.
Longitudinal flatfoot
This is a disease in which the height of the corresponding vault decreases. Longitudinal flat feet are more often observed in preschool children. Parents may suspect him when examining the baby's legs. The skin on them should be pale pink. If it becomes purple-bluish, it means that venous congestion has formed in the feet. Just pale skin, without a pink tint, means that the circulation in the feet is poor. In any case, a visit to a doctor should be immediate.
Flat feet in young children
Often, the fullness of a one-year-old child does not cause anxiety among parents. For some reason, there is an opinion that all babies should be chubby. However, this is not at all the case. If the baby weighs more than twelve kilograms after the first year of life, and his feet are tucked inward while walking, you should consult an orthopedist.
It is important not to miss such a disease as flat feet. In the year of life, this is not so noticeable, everything is attributed to childhood, especially since the baby does not experience much anxiety. But as the child grows, his body weight increases, which can lead to the progression of the disease: the vaults will become more and more flattened. In the future, with little physical exertion or long walking, there will be pain in the ankle joints, lower back, knees.
Fix flat feet with physiotherapy, massage, orthopedic shoes, arch supports, physiotherapy and surgery. Whichthe method of treatment to apply depends on the stage of the disease, which can only be determined by a doctor.
Therapeutic exercises for babies
Acquired flat feet are treated conservatively. If the child does not yet walk independently, parents help to do the exercises. Simple and painless flexion and extension of the feet helps to correct the misalignment of the arches, while the feet are guided to the sole and back. As for the outer edge of the foot, it goes inward.
When the child grows up a little and will already stand steadily on his legs, you need to show him the following set of exercises for longitudinal flat feet in children:
- Walk on toes and heels, and barefoot.
- Try to move with the edges of the feet: either inside or outside.
- Scatter a lot of small objects on the floor, and let the child collect them with his toes.
- The gymnastic stick is a simple and at the same time very useful projectile. Need to teach the child to walk on it.
A set of exercises for preschoolers
When a child is two or three years old, a whole range of exercises can be performed to treat flat feet. A child even of younger preschool age can easily withstand such a load. Exercises for flat feet in children are as follows:
- Walking with your shoulders back and your hands on your belt. But you need to walk not with the whole foot, but with its outer edges.
- This exercise is performed while sitting, with legs extended forward. toesyou need to alternately compress and decompress.
- Sitting on the floor, bend your legs, and then begin to bring your feet together and apart.
- Pull your socks together without lifting your heels off the floor.
- In a sitting position, roll the ball alternately with one foot, then with both.
- Scatter small items on the floor. The essence of the exercise is to grab the object with your fingers and move it to another place.
- Lying on your back stretch your legs forward. Make sliding movements with the sole on the opposite leg.
- Lie on your back, spread your legs apart and clap your soles.
- Lie on your back, firmly hold the ball with your feet, lift your legs up, bend your knees to your chest and make the ball move in a circle.
- Lie on your stomach, bend your legs, grab your socks with your hands, press your heels to your buttocks, while stretching your socks.
- In a standing position, grab onto a chair and roll from heel to toe, simulating walking. Do not take your socks off the floor.
- Last exercise - leg jumps: first on the left, then on the right.
With flat feet, it is very important to perform exercises both single and in combination. Classes should be daily, not episodic, from time to time.
Gymnastics using a massage mat
Exercises for flat feet in children are different. The category of physical therapy includes classes using a massage mat, on the surface of which there are irregularities of various origins. They areirritate the sole of the foot, thereby strengthening the muscles.
Exercises for flat feet in children are performed using other devices. These, in addition to rugs, include balls and various rollers, the surface of which has many soft spikes. Gymnastic devices are designed to be rolled with your feet. Parents show the child the correct exercise.
Massage
Flat feet are also treated with massage. Depending on the degree of the disease, the child is prescribed a course of treatment, which includes ten to fifteen sessions. For a year you need to take from two to four such courses. Features of the massage are that, in addition to the feet, all legs are completely massaged, since other muscles are also involved in walking: shins, thighs and buttocks.
Preventive measures to prevent flat feet
It is better to prevent any disease than to treat it for a long time. For the correct formation of the bend of the foot, you need to walk more often without shoes on a bumpy surface. It is more accessible to the rural dweller. In the city, it is very rare to find a road whose surface is paved with pebbles. All asph alt and tiles. And in the apartments - laminate and parquet. There are few options for preventive measures, but they exist. Here are some exercises for flat feet in children (also suitable for prevention):
- First of all, you need to balance the child's diet so that the right amount of animal and vegetable proteins enters his body.
- A small child should often be placed on the ground withuneven surface: sand, grass, wooden slides.
- Since the apartment has perfectly flat floors, you need to make their surface bumpy. To do this, it is enough to sprinkle small nuts, place them in a soft cloth bag, and that's it. The kid is happy to jump on such a floor. If you do not want to bother, you can purchase an orthopedic mat.
- It is better to buy shoes with arch support for the baby. This is a prophylactic insert in shoes, thanks to which the foot is delicately shaped.
All of the above measures are good, but there are the simplest exercises for the prevention of flat feet. The following is considered the most common and effective today. The gymnastic stick is lowered to the floor, a barefoot kid is placed on it, who must move sideways along it, taking side steps. Adults teach the child to walk like this. The stick should lie across the foot. Exercise helps strengthen the muscles of the foot.
