flat feet age 9 - are orthotics useful?

[richmal3]

My daughter (9) seems to have flat feet, in that she seems to walk on the inside of her feet, and the heels of her shoes wear right down on the inside almost immediately. She has no pain, and is a very good walker, walking miles without the slightest complaint.

From what I've read, there's very little evidence that orthotics actually help, but I'm wondering whether, even if they don't help the condition, they might make her shoes last longer! At the moment I'm having to buy her £45 pairs of school shoes every couple of months, so anything which might extend their life would be worthwhile.

Has anyone else got experience of using orthotic inserts with children of this age? Did you just buy them, or did you go via the gp- referral to someone (podiatrist?) route?

I disagree - orthotics work very well providing you have a good practitioner and your child is not overweight. You can try asking your GP whether he/she knows someone - or try asking other mothers at school or your local optician or dentist. I generally find that HCPs in private practice have big networks in other specialities and if you like one, you might like their friends!

If the feet aren't aligned properly your daughter may have knee and hip problems when she is older.

Make an appointment with the GP and ask for a referral to a podiatrist. I think it should be up to a professional to decide whether your daughter needs orthotics, not you.

Hello my daughter is 6 yrs she has worn orthotics, boots, shoes and insoles since she was 2 yrs old. They work brilliantly for us. See what your GP thinks or check if you can refer yourselves to orthotics or through physio depending on how it works in your area. My daughter can't wear hers in normal shoes because they don't fit and normal shoes are just not supportive enough for her so she gets NHS shoes too. :)

I would definitely consider having her referred and getting a decent pair of orthotics. I have had knee/hip pain since I was a child but only found out recently it was because I flat feet - and am now in pain a lot of the time so wish I had known earlier.

It can be quite difficult finding shoes that they fit in properly but a good paediatric podiatrist should be able to help.