Corrective shoes and inserts as treatment for flexible flatfoot in infants and children

Abstract

We performed a prospective study to determine whether flexible flatfoot in children can be influenced by treatment. One hundred and twenty-nine children who had been referred by pediatricians, and for whom the radiographic findings met the criteria for flatfoot, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Group I, controls; Group II, treatment with corrective orthopaedic shoes; Group III, treatment with a Helfet heel-cup; or Group IV, treatment with a custom-molded plastic insert. All of the patients in Groups II, III, and IV had a minimum of three years of treatment, and ninety-eight patients whose compliance with the protocol was documented completed the study. Analysis of radiographs before treatment and at the most recent follow-up demonstrated a significant improvement in all groups (p < 0.01), including the controls, and no significant difference between the controls and the treated patients (p > 0.4).

We concluded that wearing corrective shoes or inserts for three years does not influence the course of flexible flatfoot in children.

 

Taken from The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 71(6):800-810, Jul 1989 with the approval of publisher and Dennis R. Wenger

Keywords

flexible flatfoot / corrective shoes / inserts

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Wenger D.R., Mauldin D., Speck G., Morgan D., Lieber R.L.