All children are born with flat feet. The arch forms as they grow, and in most it appears over the first few years without anything needing to be done: flat feet at three is what is expected, and it does not mean the same as flat feet at eight. That is why the first question is not “are the feet flat?” but how old the child is, whether it hurts, whether the arch appears on tiptoes, and whether it has changed over time.
Those four things are what is assessed at the appointment. Flexible, painless flat feet that are changing need no treatment, only reviews to confirm they are following their course; and saying so matters as much as treating, because treating what does not need treating has a cost. When the foot is rigid, painful, tires sooner than others of the same age or is not changing, the assessment is different and then there is something to do.
If your child is going to need reviews, taking your child to the podiatrist explains how the clinic makes sure they can come to them calmly.
What is assessed
- The child’s age, which is what makes sense of everything else.
- Whether the foot is flexible: whether the arch appears on tiptoes.
- Whether there is pain, early tiredness or reluctance to walk or run.
- How the heel loads and how the child walks.
- How it has changed since previous reviews.
Worried about your child’s arch, or does he or she complain when walking?
Book an appointmentFrequently asked questions
- Do I need to buy high boots or corrective shoes?
- No. The idea that a boot supporting the ankle forms the arch is widespread and does not hold up: the arch develops with growth and with using the foot, not with a shoe that immobilises it. What does help is footwear that lets the foot work — a flexible sole that bends where the foot bends, a wide shape so the toes can move, a held heel, and light — and that fits properly in length, measured standing. Walking barefoot at home, on safe flooring, is good for that development. If someone offers you "corrective footwear" without having examined the child and without explaining what it corrects, get a second opinion.
- Can they play sport normally?
- Yes, and it is good that they do: running, jumping and playing barefoot on safe ground is part of what develops the foot. A flexible, pain-free flat foot limits nothing, so there is no need to steer them towards one sport over another or to avoid any. What does need listening to is what the child tells you: if they tire before their classmates, if they stop running, if they complain at the end of the day, or if they ask to be carried over distances they used to walk — those are data and worth mentioning at the appointment. Not to forbid anything, but because a foot that hurts with activity is what does change the assessment.
