Harmful shoes for children with flat feet

Shoes straightly affect the health of the whole musculoskeletal system. Because of the wrong shoes, flat feet, diseases of the lower limbs’ joints, as well as scoliosis and osteochondrosis can develop. In this article, we'll take a look at the most harmful shoes and how they affect child’s health in general. 

  - Shoes with high heels (more than 5 cm)

The high heel changes the center of gravity. Thus, the load on the foot is unevenly distributed and it falls mainly on the forefoot. As a result, the transverse arch suffers because of the excessive load. This situation can even lead to flat feet, especially in young girls who would like to have high heel shoes ahead of time. Besides, high heels can become a reason for pathological gait change which is hard to correct.

Very flat shoes

If the shoes seem to be comfortable, it doesn’t mean that they are harmless. Flat shoes don’t support the arches of the feet in a physiologically correct position and don’t protect the musculoskeletal system from shock loading when walking. The result is flat feet again! 

Besides, there are flat-soled shoes that aren’t fixed to the foot with laces or  fasteners. These are ballet flats loved by many girls and their parents. Ballet shoes are pretty loose and are fixed mainly on the toes, which is why the toes are in constant tension, bending inward with each step.

Tight shoes

Tight shoes compress the foot. The forefoot can’t be positioned freely and relaxed. The thumb and little finger are pressed inward and the middle fingers bend. Such an unnatural foot position contributes to the appearance of corns.

Shoes made of artificial materials 

Artificial materials are often not breathable. The foot in such shoes sweats a lot. This leads to fungal diseases, and the appearance of calluses.