Ria Mukherjee

👣🦶Flat foot deformity is flattening of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA), hindfoot valgus, and midfoot abduction, with a reported prevalence of 2–23% in adults ✅️They can be Flexible or rigid . Rigid flat feet is by birth and surgical treatment help correct the bony structure. For identifying acquired/flexible flat feet- standing might lead to flattening, and sitting brings the curve back. 👉50% of symptomatic flatfoot patients were treated using foot orthoses to elevate the medial longitudinal arch and correct deformities. . . But physical therapy including short foot exercises is more effective than orthoses.👌 🦶Extrinsic and intrinsic foot muscles (IFM) support the medial longitudinal arch. The  IFMs are - abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, and quadratus plantae, and they play important roles in directly stabilizing the arch . ✨️SHORT FOOT EXERCISE - contracts IFMs and raises the medial longitudinal arch without flexing the toes. It was shown to  1️⃣significantly correct foot alignment 2️⃣increase abductor hallucis activation  3️⃣decreased navicular drop  4️⃣decreased foot posture index (FPI) (towards normal) 5️⃣increased balance ability. Have you tried them as yet? Follow for more!  REF: 1. Desmyttere, G.; Hajizadeh, M.; Bleau, J.; Begon, M. Effect of foot orthosis design on lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics during walking in flexible pes planovalgus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin. Biomech. 2018, 59, 117–129. 2. The effects of short foot exercises and arch support insoles on improvement in the medial longitudinal arch and dynamic balance of flexible flatfoot patients,2016 3. Effects of the Short-Foot Exercise on Foot Alignment and Muscle Hypertrophy in Flatfoot Individuals: A Meta-Analysis,2022 4. The effects of short foot exercises to treat flat foot deformity: A systematic review, 2023  5. The effect of short foot exercise using visual feedback on the balance and accuracy of knee joint movement in subjects with flexible flatfoot, 2020