ARE FALLEN ARCHES A REAL FOOT PROBLEMS?
Thousand Oaks, CA, 10/05 — Are “fallen arches” an actual foot disorder, or just a catch phrase used to describe chronically sore feet? According to Dr. Hai-En Peng, a member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, fallen arches—or flat feet—is a legitimate medical condition that affects about 5 percent of the US population. “Flat feet can be present at birth, or develop over decades of walking, running and overall time spent on the feet, especially on hard surfaces in the workplace,” said Peng. There are several types of flatfoot conditions that occur in adults. The most common type is adult-acquired flatfoot, which is caused by overstretching a tendon that supports the arch. This leads to a partial or complete collapse of the arch and produces the flattened appearance on the bottom of the foot. Another common type is flexible flatfoot in which the foot is flat when standing and returns to a normal arch in non-weight-bearing positions. “In adults, flat feet can be
