Natural history of the rearfoot angle: preliminary values in 150 children.

The degree of valgus in the heel during weightbearing (the rearfoot angle) is commonly used as an angular criterion in the evaluation and treatment of flatfoot in children and adults. The rearfoot angle has been frequently reported to reduce with age to a vertical heel position attained at approximately 7 years old. The present study evaluated the rearfoot angle in 150 healthy children (age range, 6-16 years). The average rearfoot angle for all children in this study was 4 degrees of valgus (SD, 1.1 degrees; range, 0 degree - 9 degrees of valgus). There was no significant difference in the rearfoot angle in children of different ages. The rearfoot angle did not reduce to the vertical heel position by age 7 as had been reported previously.