When does the baby's foot arch form?

In a family with a newborn baby, the baby naturally becomes the core of the entire family, and the baby's growth and development concerns every parent. The baby is still in infancy and his bones are not fully developed, so he cannot be pulled hard and must be treated gently. Many parents find that their baby’s feet are flat and do not have the same arch as adults, so they can’t help but worry that their children will suffer from flat feet. So, let us understand together, when does the baby's arch of the foot form?

The tarsal bones and metatarsal bones of the foot are combined with ligaments and tendons to form an arched structure that bulges upward. The arch of the foot can be divided into the longitudinal arch in the front-to-back direction and the transverse arch in the medial-lateral direction. The longitudinal arch can be divided into the medial longitudinal arch and the lateral longitudinal arch. The medial longitudinal arch is composed of the calcaneus, talus, navicular, three cuneiform bones, and the 1st to 3rd metatarsal bones. This arch is higher and has greater elasticity, so it is also called elastic arch of the foot, which plays a role in buffering shocks. The lateral longitudinal arch is composed of the calcaneus, cuboid bone, and the 4th and 5th metatarsal bones. This bow is lower and less elastic. It is mainly related to maintaining the upright posture of the body, so it is also called a supporting bow. The transverse arch is composed of three cuneiform bones, the cuboid bone, and the posterior parts of the metatarsals.

Auxiliary structures and functions

The arch of the foot has an arch-shaped structure, which makes the foot strong, light and elastic. It can withstand greater pressure and cushion the vibration of the body when walking, running and jumping. At the same time, it can also protect the blood vessels and nerves in the sole of the foot from compression.

The maintenance of the arch of the foot, in addition to the connection between bones, is mainly carried out by ligaments, plantar fascia and muscles located on the sole of the foot. The main ligaments are the long plantar ligament and the calcaneonavicular ligament. The muscles include the short muscles of the plantar and the long tendons of the tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, flexor plantarum longus and peroneus longus that run along the plantar. If the soft tissues (ligaments, muscles, etc.) that maintain the arch of the foot are congenitally poorly developed or over-strained or fractured, the arch of the foot may collapse and flatten, forming flat feet.

flatfoot

There are two types of flat feet: pseudo flat feet and true flat feet. The characteristics of pseudo-flat feet are normal arches, good movement performance of various joints, and normal arch functional ability during walking, running, and jumping; the flat sole of the foot is mostly caused by relatively developed plantar muscles and relatively thick soft tissues. The characteristics of true flat feet are collapsed arches, extremely restricted movement of joints, weakened walking, running and jumping functions, and sometimes accompanied by pathological symptoms of flat feet. To prevent flat feet in children and adolescents whose development is not yet complete, attention should be paid to the proper arrangement of work and rest, avoiding standing for too long or carrying too much load, and strengthening foot muscle training. Studies have shown that scientific physical exercise has a positive effect on the normal development of children and adolescents' feet.

The influence of arch height

Studies have shown that: 1) People with high arches have lower ankle muscle strength, while people with low arches have higher ankle muscle strength. There was no significant difference in ankle muscle strength between people with low arches and those with normal arches. 2) The arch height will affect the ankle muscle strength, that is, the ankle plantar flexion, internal rotation and external rotation muscle strength will increase as the arch height decreases, but the arch height will not affect athletic ability.

Related diseases and treatments

1. Causes:

The more common causes of foot diseases include posterior tibial tendon insufficiency, trauma to the bone and ligament structure of the foot, abnormal development of the bone and ligament of the foot, and neuromuscular diseases. In recent years, many studies have been conducted abroad on acquired flat feet caused by posterior tibial tendon insufficiency, and it has been gradually recognized that its pathological changes involve five aspects: bone, ligament and tendon. Not only is there posterior tibial tendon insufficiency, but there are also injuries to bone joints, alignment or anatomical abnormalities such as the spring ligament and triangular ligament.

For this reason, treatment is no longer targeted at a single factor, such as a single tendon repair, transfer surgery, or a single bony surgery. The combined surgery that combines bony surgery and soft tissue surgery aims to restore the functions of the five arch maintenance factors. Bone surgery provides static maintenance factors for the arch and provides a mechanical and anatomical environment for the soft tissue to perform its normal function. Soft tissue surgery provides dynamic support for bony surgery and maintains the normal alignment of bony structure. Therefore, they can complement and support each other. Clinical practice has also proved that this combined surgery can achieve lasting and stable therapeutic effects. "Traumatic flatfoot is not uncommon in clinical practice." The calcaneus is the common posterior arm of the medial and lateral longitudinal arches. Its fracture can destroy the bone and ligament structure of the normal arch and lead to the occurrence of traumatic flatfoot." Treatment of calcaneal fractures.

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