ReviewChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2024
Efficacy of Functional Re-Education as a Treatment for Infantile Flexible Flatfoot: Systematic Review.
Review in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Intrinsic vs. combined foot muscle strengthening for pes planovalgus in children aged 4-7 years: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Trial
- Flexible Flatfoot-Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Clinical Aspects: A Review Focused on Less-Invasive Surgical Treatment in Children.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A retrospective cohort study comparing the therapeutic efficacy of three surgical interventions for pediatric flexible flatfoot.Translational pediatrics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFlexible pediatric flatfoot is an anatomical presentation of the foot that is common in children, and its functional impact raises long-term uncertainty. Functional re-education includes strengthening and stretching exercises for the intrinsic and extrinsic musculature of the foot, proposed as an effective conservative treatment. However, to date, there is no systematic review examining its effectiveness in the pediatric population. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of functional re-education as a conservative treatment for flexible pediatric flatfoot, determining which exercises are most effective.
methodsA search (PROSPERO: CRD42023391030) was conducted across six databases, resulting in an initial total of 327 studies. Of these, 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria, resulting in a sample of 419 children aged 6 to 14 years with a diagnosis of flexible flatfoot. The evaluated studies present variations in diagnostic criteria, types of exercises, and treatment duration.
resultsThe results indicate that functional re-education is effective in improving the symptomatology and functionality of the foot in children. In particular, exercises targeting the intrinsic musculature proved to be among the most effective treatments, improving the structural development of the medial longitudinal arch. The reviewed literature recommends a minimum treatment duration of eight weeks.
conclusionsFunctional re-education represents an effective conservative treatment option for flexible flatfoot in children, positioning it as the treatment of choice for this condition.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.