Ramananda Ningthoujam

To find out the number of students suffering from Flat Foot Deformities (FFD) or Pes Planus , Knock Knees Deformities (KKD) or Genu Valgum and Bow Legs Deformities (BLD) or Genu Varum .

Seven hundred and forty nine (N = 749) schoolchildren of 5th grade from Marathi medium andEnglish medium schools were assessed for thefollowing deformities:

Flat Foot (FF) Bow Legs (BW) Knock Knees (KK)

Postural Deformity is the malformation of any component of the body.

The malformation may be the result of bony distortion or alteration in the topography of soft tissues.

Plumb Line Test (PLT) was used as a reference of alignment for the body when examining BLD and KKD.

Wet Foot Print test (WFPT) isused for the diagnosis of flat foot(FF). It is performed by wettingthe feet in colour water and thenstanding on a smooth, levelsurface.

Harris and Beath (1947) as describe by Rose,Weltonand Marshall (1985) method of grading foot print was used. The footprints were classified as normal, high arched or normal (Fig. 1 Above)

Tools used:

Plumb : A plumb line is a string suspended overhead with a small weight, or plumb bob, attached at the end near the floor.

Retractable Measuring Tape

Ruler Scale

If there is knocking knees, the knees should rotate

slightly inwards until they touch, with the ankles separated

If there are bow leg, the kneesmay rotate slightly outwardswhile the ankles will be closetogether

If there are straight legs the knees will not rotate either way, the ankles and knees will be equal distance apart

The severity of deviation for bow legs and knock knees was classified as slight, mild and severe

Descriptive statistic was used for the survey research and the method used for statistical analysis is percentage method. It is as given below.

P ═ n × 100 ⁄ N

P= Percentage

n= Number of Deformities Student

N = Total Student

% for Boys with Deformities

% for Girls with Deformities

Proper arched shoes should be used to reduce flat foot deformitiesup to some extent.

Mass awareness programs regarding posture were organized in the schools.

Proper information on the importance of correct gait and posture is essential to preventthe deformities in Children

Prevention: Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent serious problem resulting in less invasive treatment and more rapid recovery.

Annual medical check up should cover the postural deformities of the students.

Health Report: Parents were informed about the condition of their child.

As per the study, majority of students wearing flat foot soles were found to be suffering from flat foot deformity. Thus, it may be concluded that the chances of suffering from this deformity is higher among those students who wears flat sole shoes.