Coffee Chat: A&Z’s First Visit to the Podiatrist

I do not have flat feet. If anything, my arch is incredibly high and my friends complained that we couldn’t borrow each others’ shoes because of it. I also tend to underpronate which I didn’t really notice until college. So when Troy and I started dating and he wore orthotics, I totally thought it was an old man thing.

Last month, Troy suggested we take the girls to the podiatrist. I get being overzealous about your kid’s health, but exactly how many pediatric podiatrists are there?

He said that he noticed that Z’s ankles were crumbling in when she walked and that’s a sign of flat feet. A’s feet also were a bit weird; they curved inward. My little pigeon toe! My MIL also worked as an x-ray tech in a podiatrist’s office, and she reconfirmed they definitely needed to go.

I didn’t think this was a big deal, since they were still growing and neither of them seemed fully “in their body” yet. But when I looked at videos of Z walking in flip flops, it was very clear. Similarly, in videos of A running, she looked a bit “floppy” for lack of a better word. To the podiatrist we go!

Turns out, flat feet are genetic?!?!

For our first appointment, they took multi-angled scans of both girls’ feet and measured the angle of the arch. Pretty straightforward. Both girls ended up having some degree of flat-footedness. Z had very little arch, so she got standard kid’s orthotics to go in her little shoes.

A had a slightly higher arch, but not enough to keep her feet in alignment. She also was curving her feet inward to compensate for it. She also got standard orthotics.

The podiatrist explained that the orthotic is pretty much the only treatment option since their feet are still growing. When they reach their adult height and shoe size, they will get specially-molded orthotics for walking and running.

The OT Part

Feet play a major role in a child’s spatial awareness because they act as one of the brain’s primary “information hubs” for understanding where the body is, how it’s moving, and how to stay balanced. Packed with sensory receptors, the feet continually give the brain information about texture, pressure, body position, stability, and movement direction, helping it form a clear map of the body in space.

Much of this information is shaped by the arches of the feet. The arch of the foot is the natural curve along the inside of the foot that helps the body absorb shock, stay balanced, and sense where it is in space. It’s formed by the bones, ligaments, and muscles of the foot working together to create a spring‑like structure. This “spring” helps distribute weight, adapt to different surfaces, and send the brain clear information about pressure and body position.

When the arches are too flat or too high, the sensory information coming from the feet changes, which directly affects how a child moves. Flat feet create broad, blurry input because more of the foot collapses onto the ground, making it harder for the brain to pinpoint pressure and balance. High arches do the opposite, providing too little input because only a small area touches the ground, leaving the brain with limited information. When the arches don’t provide clear, consistent signals, the brain must work harder to figure out where the body is in space, and movement becomes less efficient and more effortful. This can lead to:

Clumsiness
Poor balance
Fatigue
Difficulty with motor planning
Avoidance of certain surfaces
Emotional dysregulation during movement tasks

Orthotics can make a meaningful difference for kids whose spatial awareness is affected by flat feet or high arches. They don’t just “fix” foot shape; they change the quality of sensory and proprioceptive information traveling from the feet to the brain. By creating a more consistent, predictable sensory experience, orthotics help the brain build a clearer and more reliable internal map of the body in space.

Why is it a big deal?

It feels very judgemental when you’re looking at your kids and you’re like “why are you doing that funny?”

It’s not to be over critical but sometimes you question things when you have no frame of reference from your childhood. Funny thing is, within a week of taking the girls to the podiatrist, I remembered that my little brother had temporary leg splints as a toddler because he would walk on the edges of his feet.

My main concern was what if they wouldn’t grow out of these habits and develop some sort of injury later down the road; especially when it comes to sports injuries, which are happening earlier and earlier in our youth sports culture.

Last week, with their new orthotics, I went for a walk with each of girls separately and asked them to run for me. I talked about rolling the foot as their running so they don’t have a hard heel strike. I looked at their upper body posture and how they swing their arms. I noticed if they tripped over their feet or if their footfalls were in line. I was able to make some small corrections and saw a tiny bit of improvement during A’s running at soccer practice. So I’ll call it a win.

While this post started out as a “Why are going to the podiatrist” parenting post, it inadvertently became a PSA posts to take a look at your kid’s gait and see if anything looks odd. While I wouldn’t hyper fixate on your children’s feet, remember to:

Replace your kids’ shoes regularly, not just when they outgrow them. For kids 7+, it’s recommended every 4-6 months.
Keep their nails trimmed and clean.
Make sure they are wearing appropriate shoes for the occasion. If they have PE that day, make sure they are wearing sneakers (not boots or dress shoes). If they have sports practice, they should wear athletic sneakers not fashion sneakers, etc.
Crocs are not good for your feet/arch. They are meant to be slippers. Stop wearing them 24/7.

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