Physiotherapy in Management of Pes Planus : Independent Learning Material for Physiotherapy Students

Pes Planus or pes planovalgus or flat foot is a common foot deformity, where there is a height loss in the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. This means the medial side of the foot is nearly or completely in contact with the floor. There are two types of flat feet: congenital and acquired, in which the latter is progressive. It is estimated that about 20% to 37% of the population has some degree of pes planus. The aim of this thesis was to collect evidence-based knowledge about physiotherapy for patients/clients with pes planus. The objective of this thesis was to create an individual learning material for the physiotherapy students about physiotherapy methods for patients/clients with pes planus. The learning material provided the students information about flat feet and how effective physiotherapy is in treating flatfoot deformity. Conservative treatment methods usually consist of making modifications in activity levels, if necessary losing weight, footwear modifications, immobilization, anti-inflammatory medications, massage and lastly physical therapy approach. If conservative methods fail to help, surgical intervention would be considered. Physiotherapist can approach in different ways to treat clients/patients with flat feet, these are by strengthening the foot muscles, stretching the triceps surae muscle, and using different taping techniques. It was found from meta-analysis of randomized control studies that 8 weeks of strengthening intrinsic foot muscles increased medial longitudinal arch. However, this meta-analysis included studies with relatively small sample sizes, which affects the reliability of the study. Additionally, there has not been done a study to see the long-term effects of strengthening intrinsic muscles and performing short-foot exercises to treat flat feet