Flatfoot overview.

The pathologic condition pes planus has been noted in orthopedic and podiatric literature for a number of years. The many scientific and technical terms assigned to the condition have become synonymous, emerging in the vernacular as the common term "flatfoot." In the broadest sense, flatfoot refers to the weight-bearing or nonweight-bearing foot that exhibits collapse of the medial column. A discussion of the history and attitudes toward flatfoot is presented.