Flat Feet

Posted on August 20, 2026 by Patrick Hercules

Flat feet mean you have little to no arch in the soles of your feet. You may be flat-footed from childhood or have lost your arches due to a medical condition.

The arches of your feet play an important role in the mechanics of walking upright. Your arches are made of bones and connective tissues, and they:

Act as a springboard and shock absorber
Adapt your foot to uneven walking surfaces
Protect nerves and vessels in the soles of your feet
Store and release energy as you walk

Some healthcare providers make a distinction between mildly flat feet that don’t cause any issues and the foot deformity they call pes planus. Flat arches cause other changes to your foot due to pes planus, including:

The flattened arch causes your heel to point outward and your ankle to roll inward
The arch on the inner side of your sole is flattened and appears to touch the ground
Your talus bone, a bone on the inner side of your foot, sticks out

Healthcare providers may classify flat feet as either flexible or rigid, or congenital or acquired.

Flexible flat feet are the most common type of flat feet. You can see the arches in your feet when you aren’t standing on them, but they disappear when you stand.

Rigid flat feet are a rare type of flat feet and mean that your feet have no arches whether you’re standing or sitting.

Congenital flat feet mean a baby has a birth defect that prevents their feet from developing arches. Some hereditary connective tissue disorders can make your arches too weak to hold up. Additionally, some families have flatter arches than others. However, genes can also cause genetic disorders or defects that affect how your arches form or prevent them from forming. These conditions include:

Down syndrome
Cerebral palsy
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Marfan syndrome
Clubfoot
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Joint hypermobility syndrome
Tarsal coalition

Acquired flat feet, or fallen arches, is a progressive collapsing deformity of the foot that occurs in adulthood, after your feet have developed their natural arches. Arch collapse can happen slowly or rapidly. Diseases and injuries can cause them, including:

Arthritis
Injury
Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
Charcot foot

Flat feet don’t always cause symptoms. However, they can change the way you walk and can also transfer too much stress to parts of your lower body that aren’t prepared to bear it.

Early symptoms might include:
Foot pain after walking
Shin splints from overcompensating
Ankle pain from overpronation

Over time, you may develop:

Chronic pain even when you’re not walking
Gait disorders and abnormalities
Deformities such as bunions or hammertoes

These symptoms may cause you pain in your knees, hips, and lower back. You might also be more at risk of developing secondary conditions, such as:

Foot and ankle arthritis
Repetitive strain injuries
Ankle instability and sprains

An orthopedist or podiatrist can recognize flat feet after performing a physical exam by observing the shape and position of your foot, how it moves, and how you stand and walk on it. They will ask about your health history and any prior injuries or conditions that may have caused it. They might take images by taking a foot X-ray to confirm flat feet or to look deeper into the cause of it.

Many people won’t need treatment for flat feet. If they don’t have symptoms, they won’t need to fix them. If flat feet cause you occasional, mild aches and pains, you can treat them with:

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen
Orthotic shoe inserts or other walking supports
Physical therapy exercises that stretch and strengthen your feet

Flat feet that cause chronic or significant pain, or other complications might need additional treatment. Depending on what’s causing it, some people might need surgery to fix the underlying issue.

It is important to know that there isn’t anything you can do to prevent flat feet. However, staying at a healthy weight may ease pain caused by flat feet.

The Department of Podiatry at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center provides a wide variety of medical treatments and surgical procedures for adults and children. To make an appointment, please call (718) 206-6713/6712

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Bunions

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe. It occurs when some of the bones in the front part of the foot move out of their regular position, causing the big toe to get pulled toward the smaller toes. It also forces the joint at the base of the big toe to stick out.

Bunions can develop for many reasons. It can be a combination of factors such as family history, abnormal bone structure, increased motion, or choice of footwear. It can also be caused by something putting extra pressure on the big toe joint for a long time, pushing the joint out of its natural alignment. These can include:

The way you walk
Health conditions that cause inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
Standing for a long time or working on your feet

Anyone can develop a bunion. Certain groups of people are more likely to have bunions, including:

Females
People whose biological parents have bunions or issues with their foot mechanics. More than 70% of people with bunions have a biological parent who has had them
People with a history of foot injuries, including athletes

Bunions have many symptoms, including:

A bulging bump on the outside of the base of the big toe
Swelling and/or a change in color or soreness around the big toe joint
Corns or calluses often form where the first and second toes rub against each other
Ongoing pain or pain that comes and goes
Stiffness or limited movement of the big toe, which could lead to trouble walking
Hard skin on the sole

Bunions can lead to health problems, including:

Bursitis
Hammertoe
Metatarsalgia
Osteoarthritis

To diagnose a bunion, a healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. A foot X-ray of your foot can help determine the best way to treat it.

Treatment for a bunion may vary and depends on how severe the bunion is and how much pain it causes. The most common treatments for bunions include:

Changing footwear
Bunion pads and taping
Orthotic devices such as shoe inserts
Pain relievers
Using ice or an ice pack
Corticosteroids
Physical therapy
Surgery

Surgery isn’t always necessary when treating a bunion. It is only recommended when simpler treatments don’t ease symptoms, if the bunion causes frequent pain, or if it limits daily activities.

To prevent bunions, it is important to choose the shoes you wear carefully. They should be supportive and have a wide toe box and no pointed toes. There should also be space between the tip of your longest toes and the end of the shoe. Your shoes should match the shape of your feet without squeezing or pressing any part of your foot.

If you are experiencing any bunion symptoms, you can speak with a podiatrist at our Queens Podiatry Center, located on the Jamaica Hospital campus. To make an appointment, please call (718) 206-6713/6712.

Podiatry: What Your Feet Can Tell You about Your Health

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Patrick Hercules

Our bodies present many signs and symptoms to show us that we are sick, such as a runny nose, fever, and body aches. However, your feet can tell us a lot about our health, including:

Dry, flaking, itchy, or peeling skin may be signs of a thyroid condition or a fungal infection.
Foot numbness may be a sign of circulation problems such as peripheral artery disease (PAD), peripheral neuropathy associated with type 2 diabetes, other neurological problems, arthritis, or long-standing alcoholism.
A foot sore that won’t heal may be a sign of diabetes or peripheral vascular disease. In addition to causing nerve damage, high blood sugar might also damage the blood vessels that supply nerves, causing circulation problems that prevent healing.
Swollen ankles and feet may be signs of heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease, or a blood clot. Painless swelling in the feet is gravity in action. If your heart, liver, or kidneys aren’t working properly, you will have excess fluid in the body that leaks into your tissues and drains down to the feet.
A suddenly, intensely painful, and swollen big toe may be a sign of gout, inflammation caused by a buildup of uric acid that forms crystals in the joints.
Pain in the foot when walking or exercising that goes away when resting may be a sign of a stress fracture or osteoporosis.
Sore toe joints in both feet may be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis.
Frequent foot cramping may be a sign of dehydration and nutritional deficiencies.
Heel pain may be a sign of plantar fasciitis, the strain of the ligament that supports the arch in your foot.
Yellow toenails may be a sign of a fungal infection, such as athlete’s foot.
Balding or hairless feet and toes may be a sign of circulation problems, such as peripheral artery disease.
Foot or heel pain upon standing or rising in the morning may be a sign of arthritis or plantar fasciitis.
Frequently cold feet may be a sign of hypothyroidism, peripheral artery disease, or Raynaud’s disease, a condition where blood vessels spasm and constrict when experiencing cold temperatures.

Some ways you can care for your feet include:

Wash and examine your feet daily
Keep the skin on your feet moisturized
Treat any callouses and corns
Trim toenails weekly or as needed
Wear protective clothing on your feet
Maintain blood flow to the feet

If you are experiencing any of these foot ailments, contact Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Queens Podiatry Center at (718) 206-6713-6712 to make an appointment.

3 Common Causes of Foot Pain

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

Foot pain is common; any time you walk, run, or perform other activities that place stress on your feet, it increases their risk of becoming injured. This risk can also increase as a result of a variety of medical conditions.

One of the most helpful steps for alleviating foot pain is to determine what could potentially be causing it. A few common causes of foot pain include:

Poorly-fitting shoes: Foot pain and discomfort often occurs as a result of wearing shoes that do not properly fit. Both the size and shape of the shoe are important for maximizing your comfort and preventing pain.

Foot deformities: Many people experience some form of foot deformity, meaning that one or both of their feet have not properly developed physically in some way. A few common examples of foot deformities include hammer toes (which bend downward instead of pointing forward), clubfoot (a childhood deformity in which the foot is turned inward), and flat foot (meaning that the foot lacks an arch in a standing position).

Injury: The feet are involved significantly in many physical activities, such as walking, jogging, or sports. During these types of activities, you’re more likely to experience injuries such as sprained or twisted ankles, Achilles tendinitis, or nerve damage. Your risk of experiencing these injuries can be even higher due to factors such as improperly-fitting shoes and untreated foot deformities.

If you experience foot pain or have a medical condition that increases your risk of injury, it’s important that you talk to a podiatrist to get the specialized treatment you need. You can schedule an appointment with a podiatrist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center by calling (718) 206-6712.