Orthotic treatment may be effective in repositioning a mobile flat foot and continuing to hold it in the correct position.

The effect is only present when the orthotic is worn in the shoe.  Whatever the cause of the flat foot, the techniques used will be essentially the same.  These are to re-support the arch with a rigid plastic arch, and to reposition the heel by placing a wedge under its inner side to tilt it and a heel cup to hold it.  Whether orthotic treatment prevents the progression of a deformity is not definitively known, but from basic principles there is no reason why it should not.

In the flexible flat foot, orthotics are usually the recommended first line of treatment.  If rigid and arthritic flat foot orthotics cannot correct the foot position, it may serve to improve symptoms.