Acquired Flat Foot: Risk Factors, Complications, and Treatment Options

Your feet play a large role in supporting your body, along with absorbing the forces and impacts your body endures with every step you take. Your arches are a key part of your natural shock absorber system. 

Acquired flat foot is a condition also known as progressive collapsing foot deformity. You start life with normal arches, but, over time, the arch collapses and with it can go body alignment and the cushioning effect that arches provide. 

At Mastracco Foot & Ankle, we diagnose and treat flat feet, no matter how they occur. Acquired flat feet are treatable, so contact us today to start your path back toward stable, pain-free mobility.   

What is acquired flat foot? 

There are two types of flat feet. The first is a congenital form, meaning you were born with it. The second is acquired flat feet, which develop over time as the posterior tibial tendon on the inside of the ankle becomes stretched and unable to support your foot’s arch. 

Flat feet can also be rigid, where your arch is permanently collapsed, or flexible, so that an arch shows when your foot has no load force on it. Most people have flexible flat feet, regardless of the underlying type. 

Risk factors for acquired flat feet

Perhaps the two primary risk factors for adult-acquired flat feet are time and weight. Tendon tissue can weaken as you get older, particularly for women over the age of 40. In addition, a high body mass index exerts more strain on your feet and, in particular, the posterior tibial tendon. 

Other risk factors include: 

• Ankle and foot injuries
• Diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• High blood pressure
• High-impact activities, including sports
• Steroid injections near the feet

You may also have an increased risk of acquired flat feet if the condition runs in your family. 

Complications related to flat feet

Without treatment, flat feet contribute to problems like: 

• Ankle instability
• Bunions
• Calluses and corns
• Foot pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Plantar fasciitis

Complications aren’t limited to the feet, however. Collapsed arches cause a drop of the inside edge of your feet, causing a misalignment that cascades upward to other joints, including the knees, hips, and lower back. 

Treatments for adult-acquired flat feet

Generally, treatment for flat feet starts conservatively. For mild symptoms, using ice packs, cold compresses, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications may be enough. 

More severe symptoms may include custom orthotics to change the orientation of your foot and arch, or we may suggest ankle braces or walking boots to protect or immobilize your ankle so the tendon has time to heal. 

Lifestyle changes include activity modification to reduce high-impact conditions and weight loss to relieve the added strain of high body mass. 

Surgery is the last resort treatment, when other procedures fail to give results. There are several approaches for arch reconstruction to restore a natural foot orientation. 

Contact Mastracco Foot & Ankle for your flat foot-related symptoms, by phone or online today.