Anyone told their DC is flatfooted at 2 yr old?

[SammyeGail]

DH took my son in for his physical therapy assessment and she said he was flat footed, that's why his balance is off. We have to go get special insoles made for his shoes, etc and he needs some physical therapy. He has autism, gets ABA therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. He is behind developmentally and being very tall for his age adds to his balancing problems.

Has this happened to anyone else and did it help your DC? What all did it involve? I have bought all his shoes for fall, do I have to get new insoles for each pair? Does insurance usually cover this or did you have to pay for it all?

Thanks for any help,

Samantha
twins, they'll be 3 in Nov!
Noah, my little firecracker
Jonas, my sweetheart with autism

[pinkmomagain]

My dd2 has flat feet and did wear inserts for a while. They are expensive....some insurance co's pay if you're lucky....some don't. The inserts we had were a hard plastic that was removable and could be inserted into a variety of shoes...but some shoes may not be wide enough to accommodate the insert. You may have a small bit of leeway in terms of using them when your child goes up a half size or so, but generally, they need to be remade as your child's foot grows. We used them maybe when dd was 3-4 yo....and then stopped on our own.

Maybe others have had different experiences...hope this helped a little!

[set81616]

We used early steps so they paid for the insole but it was just one pair so DS just wears the one pair. They are only about 30 so you could buy some on your own if you wanted more. The hard thing for us was no sandles and we are a shoes off at home family. The PT took out the shoes natural insert and put the special insert in the shoe. I am an OT student so when I need more I can order them because he will be too old for early steps to pay. They're really helping and we should be able to do away with them at some point. They have really helped his balance too. He's even started jumping!
Good luck
Shannon

[Melaine]

My brother has this (he is 20 now). It wasn't treated when he was little and is a problem now. I would do what ever you can now to prevent chiropractic problems in the future. He can't play some sports and has a lot of back problems as a result.

[brittone2]

PTs vary on their opinions in terms of when to use an insert in a child under 3. Flat feet are pretty normal in young children and frequently do not need to be treated. However, in some cases, it starts to impact function and should be treated.

The cost, etc. depends on insurance coverage and also type of insert.

You can move them from shoe to shoe. You may need to size up, again, depending on type of insert. As a PP said, sandals won't work in most cases.

If he's dealing w/ sensory issues that affect his balance, the insert may provide some sensory feedback.

[mommabear]

I took my son in at 3 yrs and he is very very flat footed. The Dr said to go to a specialty store and buy them for around $40 and not spend the $ for custom ones because their feet grow so fast.

[mytwosons]

Hmm...I can't remember when we first started w/inserts. It was maybe at 2.5 or 3. In my son's case, he's not only flat footed, but his feet roll in (pronate). I think they were more worried about that.

Ours are custom orthotics and they are pretty soft; sort of a rubbery material. The first pair we had were quite a bit larger to allow for growth, but now that he is older, they aren't sized up. We were told we might need to go a up in width for shoes, but haven't had to so far. We just have the one pair at a time and move them between shoes.

The biggest thing is to make sure the shoes you buy have removable insoles. We've had really good luck with the Merrell Jungle Mocs fitting our inserts.

[bubbaray]

My DCP keeps telling me that DD#1 needs orthotics due to flat feet. My/DD#1's dr says no, just supportive shoes. I talked to a PT at a children's fair and she told me they don't usually require orthotics until school age. DD#1 doesn't have any OT issues, though. Her balance is better than most adults and she's very athletic.