What causes flat feet?
Flat feet are due to an issue with the bones and tissues in your feet and lower legs. The condition is normal in babies and toddlers because it takes time for the tendons to tighten and form an arch. In rare cases, the bones in a child’s feet become fused, causing pain.
If this tightening doesn’t occur fully, it can result in flat feet. As you age or sustain injuries, the tendons in one or both feet may become damaged.
Common causes include:
- genetic factors, flat feet can be passed from parents to children in the genes
- weak arches, this is what result in the arch being visible when a person sits but the foot layer flattening to the ground when they stand.
- foot or ankle injuries
- stress on the arches of the feet due to excess weight
- arthritis of rheumatoid arthritis [2]
- damage, dysfunction, or rupture of the posterior tibial tendon
- nervous system or muscle diseases, such as spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, or cerebral palsy [3]
- the tarsal coalition, is a condition that causes the bones of the foot to fuse together unusually, resulting in stiff and flat feet
- long-term use of the feet, which can cause the posterior tibial tendon, the primary support structure for the foot arch, to weaken in older age
- tendonitis [4], this is when there is a tear or damage to the tendon. It could lead to flat feet.
- developmental anomalies that can develop in childhood, with age, or after pregnancy