health

For some people, flat feet are the result of congenital bone malformation,
evident if the doctor takes x-rays. For others, flat feet develop later. Each
day as people walk, they take 8,000 to 10,000 steps on pavement, floor,
tile, and other surfaces. With each step a person takes, gravity-induced
pressure puts three to four times the body’s weight on each foot. Over
the years, the imbalance on the muscles of the feet may cause a disorder
in the natural arch, weakening the posterior tibial tendon of the foot.
Excessive weight or pounding stress may cause the longitudinal (lonj-i-
TOO-di-nal) arch (which runs the length of the foot) or the metatarsal
(met-a-TAR-sal) arch (which runs perpendicular to the longitudinal arch,
from one side of the foot to the other) to fall, or flatten.
Other causes of flat feet are shoes that do not fit well, obesity, rickets,
and metabolic disorders that may cause the arch muscles to weaken. In
older adults, decreased exercise and increased weight can cause mechanical
disturbances in the foot.