Yasin Mohamad S, Al-Labadi Ghayda'a M, Alshrouf Mohammad Ali, AlRaie Bayan A, Ibrahim Raneem A, AlRaie Lana A
Department of Special Surgery, Division of Orthopedics, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
Int J Gen Med. 2023 May 29;16:2055-2061. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S400720. eCollection 2023.
Flatfoot is commonly seen in the community and is a common cause of concern for parents because it could become symptomatic and lead to decreased quality of life. One of the most used management approaches is foot orthoses, although no clear evidence supports their use. We aimed to study flatfoot symptoms' prevalence, effect on activities of daily living, and the use and effectiveness of orthoses.
This was a cross-sectional study that included five countries from the Middle East and North Africa region (Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq). Data were collected using an online questionnaire directed toward parents of children aged 0 to 16 from September to December 2020. The demographic factors were expressed as frequencies (percentages) using standard descriptive statistical parameters, and Pearson's chi-square test was used to examine the relationship between study factors.
1256 participants were recruited using this online survey. The majority (29.6%) of children were diagnosed in the age group of 0 to 2. The abnormal appearance of the foot was the most common (78.7%) complaint. Overall, 54.2% of patients were prescribed orthoses, of which 36.8% noticed improvement in flatness and 37.6% reported relief of symptoms.
This study demonstrated that most participants have no or minimal symptoms and that there is a mismatch between participants' expectations and the actual effectiveness of orthoses. Taking into consideration that there is no clear evidence to support the corrective effect of orthoses, we recommend that physicians prescribing them adhere more to their proper indications and spend more time and effort counseling and addressing patients' and parents' concerns about this developmental stage.
扁平足在社区中很常见，是家长们普遍担心的问题，因为它可能会出现症状并导致生活质量下降。尽管没有明确证据支持，但最常用的治疗方法之一是足部矫形器。我们旨在研究扁平足症状的患病率、对日常生活活动的影响以及矫形器的使用情况和效果。
这是一项横断面研究，涵盖中东和北非地区的五个国家（约旦、巴勒斯坦、叙利亚、埃及和伊拉克）。2020年9月至12月，通过在线问卷向0至16岁儿童的家长收集数据。使用标准描述性统计参数将人口统计学因素表示为频率（百分比），并使用Pearson卡方检验来检验研究因素之间的关系。
通过这项在线调查招募了1256名参与者。大多数（29.6%）儿童在0至2岁年龄组被诊断出患有扁平足。足部外观异常是最常见的（78.7%）主诉。总体而言，54.2%的患者被开具了矫形器，其中36.8%的患者足部扁平情况有所改善，37.6%的患者报告症状有所缓解。
本研究表明，大多数参与者没有症状或症状轻微，而且参与者的期望与矫形器的实际效果之间存在差距。考虑到没有明确证据支持矫形器的矫正效果，我们建议开具矫形器的医生更严格地遵循其适用指征，并花更多时间和精力为患者及家长提供咨询，解决他们对这个发育阶段的担忧。
