


If your little one hasn’t reached that birthday yet, there’s a significant amount of cartilage in his or her feet. Other potential problems include:įlat feet in children can be especially problematic for those under seven years old. High Muscle Toneįor kids with high tone, the Achilles tendon is too short, which pulls the foot inward.Īlthough it may seem like just a foot problem, flat feet can cause a chain reaction up your child’s body that forces ankles, knees, and hips out of proper alignment. The heel bone rotates in, which collapses the arch. This allows movement beyond the normal range of motion. This simply means the ligaments (connective tissue) are too stretchy. And a big indicator comes from where he or she falls on the muscle tone spectrum: Low Muscle Toneįor kids with low tone, the culprit is ligament laxity. What you want to look for are signs of what’s called excessive pronation: But if he or she has been walking for more than six months and you still see flat feet, keep an eye on them. As toddlers learn to stand and walk, flat feet are common. If you can see a pinky toe, ring toe, but not big toe, your child is likely pronating.Īlthough untreated flat feet can cause problems, they’re not always a cause for alarm.

If you can see a pinky toe and big toe, his or her feet are likely fine. Have your little one stand barefoot, facing away from you. So instead of body weight being distributed evenly, your child is walking on the inside part of the foot. This causes the foot to collapse inside where the arch should be. Your child’s calcaneus (heel bone) rotates inward. But for kids with flat feet, most or all of their foot touches the floor.Īlthough this seems like a foot problem, it actually begin in the heel. But if you notice flat feet, that’s not something to ignore.Īs the name suggests, flat feet (also called pronation, flexible flat foot, and pes planus) are pretty easy to spot. Your child’s feet are probably pretty low on that list. As a parent, there are always a million things on your mind: meals, milestones, memories, and much, much more.
