Flat Feet and Over-Pronation
An example of stabilizing over-pronated feet with Supra-Malleolar Orthoses (SMOs)
Children with developmental delay often present with very flat feet and sometimes show hyper-pronation, where the weight is borne almost on the inside of the ankle, with the outside of the foot not touching the floor. This is due to weakness of the muscles that stabilize the foot, and an over-lengthening of those muscles. Without support, it is very possible that the foot posture will never recover as the child grows, as the ligamentous and muscular support is too stretched out.
Children with developmental delay or low muscle tone need support to their feet to protect the muscles and ligaments from over-lengthening. If the foot is held in a more neutral position, a more normal development has the chance to occur.
Controlling the flat or hyper-pronated foot also improves overall stability and endurance, which is a problem for children with Global Developmental Delay. At Orthokids, we use in-shoe foot orthoses and Supra-Malleolar Orthoses (SMOs) to protect the foot and control over-and hyper-pronation. SMOs are flexible orthoses that wrap around the foot to prevent collapse of the arches and hold the heel in a more vertical alignment. They provide more support than foot orthoses. Both are worn inside normal shoes.
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