👣 Frequently Asked Questions About Children’s Flat Feet
We often receive similar questions from parents who are concerned about their child’s flat feet.
Here’s a simple guide to help you understand the most common concerns.
1️⃣ “My husband’s or wife’s family all have flat feet. Is it inherited?”
Flat feet themselves aren’t directly inherited, but something called hypermobility (extra flexible joints) can run in families.
If your child’s ankles and feet are more flexible than usual, their arches may collapse more easily when walking, making the feet appear flat.
Encouraging your child to walk and play barefoot on uneven outdoor surfaces (like grass or sand) helps their muscles and balance develop naturally.
However, hypermobility, growth, and body weight can all affect how their arches form, so flexibility alone doesn’t guarantee perfect posture.
2️⃣ “Neither side of our family has flat feet. Why does my child have them?”
There are a few common reasons:
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Your child may have inherited joint flexibility from a grandparent.
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They may have had limited outdoor playtime on natural ground when learning to walk.
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Tight calves or weak foot muscles can make the arches collapse during walking.
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Inappropriate footwear such as very soft shoes like Crocs may not provide the stability children need while their feet are developing.
Crocs are made of soft foam and bend easily, offering little structure or grip. Over time, this can cause the feet to roll inward and weaken the ligaments that support the arch.
3️⃣ “My husband has flat feet and lives fine without treatment. Should I still worry about my child?”
Every person’s experience is different.
Some adults with flat feet don’t feel pain, until later in life. We often see patients in their 30s or 40s who suddenly develop knee, ankle, or back pain after years of ignoring flat feet.
Once the joints become stiff, it’s much harder to fix without surgery.
So it’s better to help children early, when their muscles and joints are still flexible and can learn to support the body naturally.
Think of it as giving your child the best chance to move freely, now and for life.
4️⃣ “My child wears Crocs a lot. Could that cause flat feet?”
Yes, it could contribute.
Crocs are soft and unstable, so they don’t provide a firm base for proper walking.
When the foot steps on something soft, it tends to tilt inward especially in kids with flexible ankles.
This can lead to overpronation (foot rolling in too much) and flattened arches over time.
Crocs are fine for short, casual use but not ideal as everyday footwear for growing children.
5️⃣ “If Crocs aren’t suitable, what kind of shoes should my child wear?”
Choose shoes that:
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Have laces you can tighten
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Have a firm heel counter (the back of the shoe should feel solid)
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Offer a stable base, not too soft or bendy
For sandals, look for ones with three adjustable straps at the toes, around the ankle, and behind the heel.
These designs hold the feet firmly and encourage proper walking mechanics.
6️⃣ “My child has been wearing insoles for years, but nothing has changed. Why?”
Insoles give temporary support, not correction, just like wearing glasses helps you see clearly only while they’re on.
Once the insole is removed, the arch flattens again because the muscles haven’t learned to hold the arch themselves.
In Western countries, people wear shoes all day, even indoors, so insole therapy works better.
But in Asian homes, where children go barefoot most of the time, insoles alone rarely make a difference.
The real solution is to train the foot muscles to support the arch naturally.
7️⃣ “My child’s feet became flat after the MCO (pandemic). Why?”
During the MCO, many children stayed indoors and stopped doing physical activities.
Their bones continued to grow, but their muscles didn’t, leading to muscle tightness, especially in the calves and hamstrings.
As a result, their feet started to roll inward (overpronate) to compensate, causing flattened arches and poor posture after the growth spurt.
8️⃣ “My child is 17. Is it too late to fix flat feet?”
Not necessarily.
If the ankle joints are still flexible, non-surgical correction is still possible.
Most joints start to stiffen around age 11, but some remain flexible longer.
With guided gait retraining and the right exercises, many teens can still improve their arches and posture significantly.
9️⃣ “My child is now an adult. Can it still be corrected?”
It depends on their joint flexibility.
We’ve seen adults, even up to 37 years old, successfully restore their arches with proper gait retraining because their ankles remained flexible.
A quick physical assessment can help us determine whether your feet still have the potential to improve.
❤️ Final Thoughts
Flat feet may not be dangerous, but they can quietly affect posture, balance, and confidence over time.
The earlier we help children use their muscles correctly, the better their long-term mobility and comfort will be.
At SpineCare Engineering, our mission is simple, to help children walk, run, and play freely again, and to make childhood excitement a permanent gift.