Flatfeet

[KG101]

My son is 9yrs old and has inherited flatfeet. My husband and his father both suffer from it. He started complaining of shin pain when he was 5 (the year he started to play baseball). We have taken him to several doctors and a podiatrist for help but they've told us that the only thing we can do is put orthotics in his shoes and make him wear his shoes 18hrs a day. He rarely complains about his legs since we got the orthotics The problem is that due to the pain he used to have, he developed his mechanics to compensate for his pain. So even though he's not pain now he's trained himself to run heel to toe, not put all his weight on his legs, and to not extend his legs while he's running. Can physical therapy help with this? Any advice/experience would be so helpful.
Thank you.

[foootdoc]

hi im a podiatrist, a patient of mine told me about this site. saw your post and i had to register and answer it. - there are many different surgical procedures out there for flatfoot correction that work very well. orthotics do not cure the problem and i cannot imagine anyone wearing shoes all the time like you mentioned. you need to see a surgical podiatrist or a fellowship trained foot and ankle orthopedist. it may be something that can be fixed easily, sometimes with osteotomies (bone cuts) or sometimes with implants that are easily removable. i would address it since he is so young and already having pain. ill be very happy to answer any questions for you.
-good luck

[KG101]

I cannot thank you enough! I made an appt for a consult with a surgical podiatrist. I'll keep our progress posted.