Due to the absence of arches, the ligament and tendons in the feet can tear, swell and stretch.Ī person with rigid flat feet does not have any arches even when they are sitting. This type develops in early childhood and gets worse gradually with age. This is the most common type in which the arches are visible when a person is not standing, but disappear as soon as they stand up and put weight on their feet. They are further segmented into the following types: In general, flat feet are categorized into two groups: Congenital pes planus which is from birth, or acquired flat feet which develop in adulthood. Other symptoms to look for include: heel and ankle pain, lower back pain, abnormal walking pattern, rolled in ankles, and shin splints. The major identifier for the condition is the lack of arches found in the feet, resulting in pain and fatigue along the inner sides of your feet. In children, the condition can develop if there’s a lack of foot exercise.įor adults, flat feet can develop from a foot injury, continued stress on the foot arches, abnormal joint formation, obesity, arthritis, diabetes, or from the tightness of the Achilles tendon. The condition is identified when the Achilles tendon is tight or from the laxity of ligaments. Causesįlat feet are more common in infants, with the major cause being heredity. The condition is characterized by no arch which means that the entire sole of the foot touches the ground when standing.
The condition can be passed down to the next generation as a hereditary trait or it may develop later in life due to various factors. What are Flat feet?įlat feet, also known as pes planus or fallen arches is serious deformity with various degrees of physical impact. The process of coding and submitting claims for the medical services provided is documented carefully. In this article, that is exactly what we discuss the different causes leading to flat feet, their types, and the commonly associated ICD 9 code for flat feet. The relevant ICD 10 code for congenital flat feet is Q66.50 Congenital Flat foot (acquired).įor a medical biller or coder, it is imperative to have a thorough knowledge of the different types and problems associated with the deformity, to ensure that coding is done accurately leading to correct and speedy reimbursement for the medical practice. The code is valid for claims with a date of service before September 2015, since the ICD 9 was effectively replaced by the ICD 10 code after that. Flat Feet (Congenital) – 754.61ħ54.61 represents the ICD 9 code for congenital pes planus that can be used to show a diagnosis for reimbursement and claims process. The code excludes the cases dealing with a congenital flat foot, rigid flat foot, and everted flat foot. The relevant ICD 10 code for 734 is M21.40 Flat foot (acquired). Flat Feet (Acquired) – 734įrom the 2012 ICD-9-CM, the diagnosis code for acquired flat feet is 734 which can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. Given the two primary types of flat feet, namely congenital and acquired, below are the corresponding codes for each: 1. In medical terminology, flat feet are called pes planus. Having a low arch or no arch at all means that your whole feet lay flat on the ground, hence the name ‘flat feet’.
It can be recognized by the absence of the arch found in the feet. Flat feet are a kind of foot deformity that can either be present at the time of birth or is acquired later in life for different reasons.