It’s Foot Health Month across Australia so we thought we’d answer an age-old question we hear from parents of young children – “Are my kids feet meant to have an arch?” which is often followed by “Because they don’t. Look! They’re as flat as pancakes.” Generally speaking, yes all feet should some form of arch and yes this will vary between people.

Why do our feet even have arches?

The feet have a certain structure and position where all the bones, joints, ligaments and tissues can work together effectively to keep you taking step after step after step. Your muscles support your foot and control it’s movement. Muscles travel down the leg, are above and beneath the foot, they span the arch and they support our foot and arch shape. That’s why arches develop as we grow and as our muscles strengthen. It’s also why if we damage some key muscles that support the foot, such as the Tibialis Posterior tendon, your foot may ‘collapse’ and roll in – meaning that muscle is struggling to support the foot and arch in its upright position. It’s important to remember that pronation itself – that is the act of your foot rolling down through a step – is not a bad thing and in fact is a natural part of gait (walking) that helps to save energy and absorb shock through the windlass and spring mechanisms of the foot, before the foot arches up and leaves the ground.

Developing arches

In the first few years, kids feet go from having a lot of fatty tissue at their feet and little muscle strength to much less fatty tissue and stronger muscles, ligaments, joints and bones. At the age of 2-3, you may start to see an arch developing. If you don’t, don’t panic. The arch should appear as muscles develop, strengthen and work to support and stabilise the foot. We expect to see an arch well formed by the age of 7. If you don’t and you’re concerned, bring your child in to see a Podiatrist and we’ll be able to assess if there is any inherent muscle weakness or deficits. We’ll also assess the overall biomechanics of the feet and legs.

Really flat feet

If your child has really flat feet, you may be wondering if this is a problem or not. Let us clarify a common misconception: Just because your kids have very flat feet, does not mean that they are definitely going to go on to develop foot pain or problems. It does, however, mean that there’s a increased chance that they may. This is because as a consequence of flatter feet, many muscles are having to work much harder with every step to support and move the foot. With all the activity and running around in childhood, it definitely adds up. Feet can become sore and tired much easier and can be prone to muscle strains. We also often see a big weakness in the intrinsic muscles of the foot in repetitive patterns which result in what we like to call the “Lazy Arch” as opposed to an “Active Arch” where the intrinsic muscles are activated and work to help support the arch. We’ve found that working to strengthen and engage these intrinsic muscles can help make a massive difference!

Really high-arched feet

Very high arched feet are much the same as flat feet – there’s an increased chance of developing issues but that doesn’t mean they will. Issues with high arched feet typically arise from the foot not rolling in adequately to help attenuate ground reaction forces efficiently and absorb shock. When combined with tough surfaces and lots of activity, aches and pains can develop.

If you’re worried about your kids feet

If you’re worried or feel that something just isn’t right, bring your kids in and we’ll be able to thoroughly assess their feet and legs and check it against the expected development for their age. It’s also good to observe if you notice your kids:

• Tripping and falling more than what you’d expect
• Are unusually uncoordinated or clumsy
• Can’t keep up with other kids their age
• Have a sudden disinterest in outdoor and physical activities

Let us know if you’ve noticed these and any other unusual behaviours and remember there’s absolutely nothing wring with wanting to be extra careful and getting your kids feet checked. We love seeing kids growing healthy and strong and being able to do everything they love pain-free. We’re parents of young kids too!