29/04/2026
A 10 year old was brought to us some time ago.
He plays at a football academy. Training over 12 hours a week. His parents are investing huge money a month in his coaching alone because they believe in him and honestly, watching him, you can see why.
But he was in pain. And it had been going on for a while.
By the time he walked into our clinic he had been to 4 different therapists and orthopedic/foot surgeons.. His parents had changed his footwear, consultant, scans, spending well over two lakhs doing it.
Every conversation had circled back to the same thing. Flat feet. Get him orthotics. Support the arch.
If no better, surgery with metal inside his foot.
Four therapists/Orthopedic Foot Surgeons. Still in pain.
Here is what we found when we actually spent time with him.
Yes, he had flat feet. But flat feet were not his problem. His problem was that nobody had looked beyond the shape of his foot. Nobody had assessed how he was moving, where his strength was, what his body was actually doing under the demands of 12 hours of football a week & school.
We took our time with him. Proper assessment. Understanding him as a kid, not a diagnosis. And then we built him a programme around simple, fun movement and strength work that he actually wanted to show up for.
No new orthotics. No more footwear changes. Just the right work, done consistently, in a way that made sense for a 10 year old who loves football.
He is now playing at a higher level than before his pain started.
I am sharing this because I see this pattern regularly. A child has foot pain. Someone -a relative, a well-meaning friend says flat feet are the problem.
Parents, doing everything right by their child, follow that advice.
Money is spent. Time is lost. The child keeps hurting.
Flat feet in children are almost always normal. The arch develops over time. Most children with flat feet run, jump and play sport without any issue whatsoever.
When pain is present, the foot shape is rarely the full story!!!
But orthotics alone or surgery are not the answer.
