Piede piatto: “piatto” malattia o sintomo?

Abstract

Regarding the so-called paediatric flatfoot, we question the meaning of “flat” since it should be considered not as a disease but as a symptom in the context of a multifactorial disease during post-natal growth.

We shall adopt a similar syndromic approach toward the definition, if any, of paediatric dysmorphic foot which, however, has the advantage of a pathogenetic reference. One shoud not refer to the pronatory syndrome as a disease that is subsequent to abnormal pronation of the subtalar joint because the so-called joint is a cultural artefact and not an anatomical fact: the so-called anterior subtalar joint does not have an autonomous capsular structure and it is a component of the talo-calcaneo-navicular joint or coxa pedis. Similar considerations can be made for the adult flat foot.