Is flatfoot a problem in children that needs to be treated?

Flatfoot in children is common and the majority of of the time it is really not an issue, which means this results in a lot of controversy regarding if it is a normal variance of no consequence or is the beginning of a concern that needs to be treated. We have witnessed many debates on this on the web and at conferences, but with no serious general opinion. You will find strongly held beliefs on both sides of the discussion on flatfoot. An episode of the podiatry related live show, PodChatLive was dedicated to speaking about this subject. PodChatLive is a weekly livestream with 2 hosts which go over a new subject every month having a different expert or group of experts which is send out live on Facebook and then the recorded version is added to YouTube and also the audio version is made obtainable as a podcast. They've got quite a substantial following within podiatry and those curious about the themes that they go over.

In the last episode on paediatric flat feet the hosts talked to investigator, lecturer and private podiatry practitioner Helen Banwell concerning the disagreement and issues concerning the symptomatic Vs asymptomatic flat foot in children and in addition pointed out her viewpoints when you should treat as opposed to when not to. They stressed the importance of questioning in relation to family history with regard to making that determination. Additionally they talked about conservative as opposed to surgical treatment and how to deal with worried and anxious moms and dads whenever informing to treat or not manage. They also layed out the foot orthotic useage practices for the young individual with flat foot. Helen Banwell is a lecturer in podiatry as well as an Academic Integrity Officer for the School of Health Sciences, along with Associate Director for the international Centre of Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE) at the University of Adelaide in Australia. She is a starting part of Making Strides which is a internet based collaboration for all those employed in foot and lower leg development research. She has been a teacher of podiatry at the University of South Australia since 1999, teaching paediatric principle and practical as well as introducing second year podiatry students into their teaching clinics.