The shape of your feet and its effects on foot function has been well documented. Specifically Flat Feet can cause an increase pressure in the soft tissues that support the twenty eight plus bones in one’s feet. Flat Feet has been shown to increase the stress experienced because of abnormal shape and abnormal motion (excessive pronation). If you ever had any kind pain in your feet, you know that persistent pain can also lead to compensation and overuse of other parts of your feet, ankles or legs. Multiply this by the reported 5000-10,000 steps taken day to day, and you have a recipe for chronic pain. Flat Feet have been linked to Bunion Deformities, Joint Pain, Posterior Tibial Tendinitis, Plantar Fasciiits/Heel Spur Syndrome, Achilles Tendonitis, Stress Fractures and even Ingrown toenails to name several foot and ankle problems.
Unfortunately, Flat Feet can significantly affect your quality of life. Many working hours have been lost to chronic pain associated with flatfeet, especially those that have to stand on their feet for the majority of their job. Athletes often have to miss time with their respective sports because of issues associated with flatfeet. As we have seen in our practice, this problem can also affect children and can significantly impact their activities of daily living, resulting in tired legs, muscle fatigue, arch pain, and heel pain. Having Flat feet certainly increases the chances of having foot related issues at one point in time.
Typical non surgery related treatments include rigorous stretching, over-the-counter inserts, custom made orthotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and steroidal anti-inflammatory oral medications, physical therapy and, steroid injections. Treatment considerations are dependent on what your foot and ankle specialist finds during his or her clinical examination. Here at The Foot and Ankle Associates, we offer many treatment options before procedures. Sometimes, however, these treatments are not enough despite exhausting conservative therapy.
A relatively simple option available to some patients is a device called Hyprocure. Think of this as an internal orthotic. The Hyprocure Implant is a device that can help some patients slow or stop the chronic pain cycle they experience from their flatfeet. Studies have shown this device capable of blocking abnormal motion and decreasing the stress placed on the joints, bones, ligaments and tendons of your feet. It is a titanium alloy device that helps with the positioning of foot, preventing a bone that is part of your ankle joint from collapsing .With local anesthesia and IV sedation, this device can be easily placed within your foot in less than 15 minutes.
Not everyone is a candidate for this device and your doctor at the Foot and Ankle Associates Clinics can help you make this determination. Some people’s feet have experienced too many adaptive changes for so long that they cannot have this device without additional procedures. Even if you are not a candidate for this procedure, your Foot and Ankle Associates Doctor, with his or her expertise or associated doctors within the practice, could help improve your lifestyle.