Flat feet is an unpleasant disease that is easier to prevent than cure. Make sure that the baby's arch of the foot and ankle are formed correctly, preferably from the moment when the baby begins to take its first steps. And in this case, and if the child already has flat feet, modern developments - orthopedic puzzle mats - will come to the aid of the parents. Let's talk about them in more detail.
What it is
At first glance, rugs for the prevention and treatment of flat feet are a fairly simple and uncomplicated design. It is a floor covering with a raised “pattern”. The flatfoot puzzle mat is a modular design, which consists of squares of the same size, which are assembled together like a puzzle.
If we consider this invention of mankind in more detail, it becomes clear that in terms of the degree of influence, the mat is in no way inferior to expensive massage procedures in an expensive clinic. The protruding relief on the squares pointwise affects the important active points of the foot, which improves blood supply to the lower extremities, accelerates lymph flow, massages muscles and ligaments, and also helps the child learn to step on various parts of the foot, while maintaining the balance of the body in space.
Thus, the mat replaces several expensive health procedures at once. The plus is that you don't have to go anywhere, you can practice on the rug at home.
In addition, the child will not be burdened with the need to undergo certain medical procedures, because it is fun to do gymnastics, exercises, and just play on the rug in a playful way.
The rugs are made of colorful bright materials. The texture can be different - "Cones", "Shells", "Pebbles", "Pebbles", "Grass", "Thorns" etc. The modular design makes it possible to combine different coatings in a wide variety of options - "Cones" with "Grass" or "Pebbles" with "Spikes". The number of options will depend on the number of modules - 2,4,6,8,12,16 or more, if there is a desire to create a large treatment surface.
The effectiveness of such a floor covering has long been appreciated by orthopedic doctors. They see the result in person - before buying a rug and six months after that. Light forms of flat feet can be defeated quickly enough. For more serious forms of the disease, orthopedic puzzles help as part of a comprehensive treatment.
Varieties
All foot massage mats are divided into two main types:
- Prevention mats... They are made from softer materials that gently stimulate active points and positively influence the activity of internal organs and the nervous system through acupuncture, improve the blood supply to the baby's legs, and contribute to the correct formation of the feet.
- Treatment mats... Such puzzles are made of denser and harder materials, with more embossed textures, because the main task of the product is to correct the foot and ankle, if something has already gone wrong in their development.
How to choose a mat for a child?
Regardless of what kind of mat is needed - prophylactic or therapeutic - you should start choosing such a product with a visit to an orthopedic surgeon. If there are no pathologies of the foot, then the doctor will tell you which mats are optimal for a given age and feet for preventive purposes. If there is flat feet, then the doctor will not only suggest the models of rugs, but also prescribe very specific "patterns" of the relief. One child will benefit only from "Grass" or "Pebbles", and another - only "Bumps" or "Thorns".
Today, massage foot mats in a huge assortment are presented in online stores. Experts recommend purchasing medicinal varieties only in specialized orthopedic salons.
Prophylactic models can be bought in a children's store and ordered online, but it is advisable to choose products from reputable manufacturers.
Pay attention to the colors, it is important that the rug is not only useful, but also interesting for the baby. You should not choose too tough textures for a child under 3 years old, walking on which will cause pain to the baby. This will only scare the baby away. You can order several modules with a soft texture - for starting classes, and several - with a hard one, in order to gradually introduce these puzzles into the composition of the rug, when the baby's legs get used to walking on the new surface.
Quality material is very important for a child's health. The product must have certificates of quality and conformity. The modules should not emit a sharp chemical odor, which may indicate a fake, low-quality material. You should not take too few modules, because the mat should be of such an area that the child can not only stand on it, but also walk, run, sit, jump, do gymnastics. Modules can be purchased gradually, as needed, expanding and supplementing the rug with new elements.
Popular models
The abundance of producers will surprise parents and may plunge them into some confusion. In fact, many companies, both Russian and foreign, present high-quality and inexpensive products. FOSTA and ORTO have proven themselves the most:
- FOSTA - a large assortment of orthopedic modular rugs of varying degrees of rigidity and a wide variety of textured "patterns". For the treatment and prevention of flat feet, experts most often recommend the F-0810 model. It is sold in a complete set of 8 modules, later you can buy additional elements from the same manufacturer. The average cost of an eight-module kit is about 1,500 rubles.
- Russian manufacturer "ORTO" offers a large selection of rugs for babies from their first steps and for adolescents who need to correct pathologies of the foot and gait. There are exclusively preventive models - "Kid", "First steps", and there are models for treatment and prevention - "Universal", "Mix". Price category - from 1000 to 2500 rubles depending on the number of puzzle modules.
You can consider mats from such manufacturers as Trives, Puzzle 1+, as well as the traditional orthopedic mat Lyapko, developed by reflexologist Nikolai Lyapko.
Usage tips:
- You should not start practicing on the rug with a child who has not yet reached the age of one. This can be very painful for small feet.
- Children with wounds and eczema on the legs, as well as diseases that are expressed by impaired vestibular function, should not be engaged on such a coating for a long time. The kid may fall and get injured.
- The time for exercising on the mat should be increased gradually - from 3-4 minutes to 20-25 minutes. If the baby becomes painful and uncomfortable, you should interrupt the lesson, let him get off the rug and rest a little.
- You should use the applicator barefoot.
- The first few sessions should include simple exercises - walking on the rug, lifting on toes with rolling on the heels. Gradually, the child's task should be made more difficult - to introduce marching, walking in single file, jumping. An individual set of exercises for parents can be suggested by an orthopedist who knows all the features of the child's foot.
- In no case should a child be forced to practice on an orthopedic massage mat. This will only cause fear and persistent rejection of textured puzzles as such. Joint exercises on the rug are useful. It is important that the process of treatment and prevention brings joy and pleasure to the child.
- Don't wait for the effect instantly. You should practice on the rug systematically, daily, and then in a few months you can pleasantly surprise both the doctor and yourself.
The rugs do not require special care. It is enough to wipe them with soapy water and wipe dry once a week.
How to do it yourself?
Do-it-yourself massage mat is easy to do. The most difficult thing is to find a large number of objects on which the child has to walk and run. For this, craftsmen use large buttons, soda lids, large beans (beans, for example), and flat stones, which many bring from the sea "as a keepsake", chestnut fruits.
On the main section of dense fabric, all these "wealth" should be placed in sectors - soft materials should alternate with hard ones, large ones - with small ones. Cereals and beans are sewn into linen bags and sewn onto the desired sector. The buttons are simply sewn onto the main fabric. It is advisable to pre-drill the stones so that they can be easily sewn on. In general, a flight of imagination and a large number of different trinkets - and a unique exclusive rug is ready.
The disadvantages of such self-made structures are non-compliance with safety precautions. One of the small objects can come off, and an inquisitive kid can swallow or inhale it.
In addition, when making a rug with your own hands, it is difficult to take into account all the recommendations of an orthopedist for correcting gait or foot height. But for a preventive rug, self-sewn trinkets are quite enough.
In the next video you will find an overview of the orthopedic massage puzzle mat for children.
