Résumé : | Background: A talus control foot orthosis (TCFO) combines an inverted rigid foot orthosis (RFO) with a broad upright portion that rises well above the navicular to cover and protect the talonavicular joint. We sought to identify the therapeutic effect of TCFOs in children with flexible flatfoot. Methods: Flexible flatfoot was diagnosed in 40 children when either of the feet had greater than 48 valgus of resting calcaneal stance position (RCSP) angle and one of the radiographic indicators was greater than 308 in anteroposterior talocalcaneal angles, 458 in lateral talocalcaneal angles, and 48 in lateral talometatarsal angles and less than 108 of calcaneal pitch in barefoot radiographs. Of 40 children with flexible flatfoot, 20 were fitted with a pair of RFOs and 20 with TCFOs, randomly. Follow-up clinical and radiographic measurements were completed 12 months later. Results: All of the radiographic indicators changed toward the corrective direction in both groups. There were significant improvements in calcaneal pitch and RCSP in both groups (P , .05). In the TCFO group, the anteroposterior talocalcaneal angle and the RCSP showed statistically significant improvement compared with the RFO group. Conclusions: In this study, the TCFO was more effective than the RFO at treating children with flexible flatfoot |