Growing up with flat feet was more than merely a cosmetic curiosity for Nabil Mikhail.

His body mechanics thrown off as the rest of his structure compensated for the abnormality, Mikhail could never walk or run for significant distances because his lack of an arch would cause him pain. As a child, the affliction caused him to endure teasing, to shy away from sports, and would lead to a host of other orthopedic problems that continue to affect him as an adult.

So when Mikhail's son Daniel, now 12, began showing signs of going down the same path, Nabil Mikhail and his wife, Caroline, started looking into whether anything could be done to correct the problem.

The Elgin couple met Dr. Ahmad El-Samad, a podiatrist who said that because Daniel is still growing, his feet could be corrected with a minimally invasive procedure that would take less than an hour. Because his congenital flatfoot was flexible and not rigid, El-Samad could insert a block within the joint of his still developing feet so that as he grows, the foot will develop with a normal degree of pronation. In other words, he will grow up with a normal arch.

As a child, nothing could be done to help Nabil Mikhail. In adulthood, correcting the arch, now rigid and arthritic, would be major, invasive surgery, involving the breaking of bone and joints and realigning his entire ankle. The minimally invasive surgery El-Samad did on Daniel has to be done before adulthood.

After each operation, done in Oct. 2007 and March 2008, Daniel was able to put weight on his foot after three weeks. By six weeks, he could walk unassisted by a cane or crutches. By eight weeks, he was back to normal activity.

El-Samad says many people see flat feet as a physical characteristic rather than a deformity. As a result, many cases go undiagnosed and untreated, resulting in a host of other orthopedic problems.

"If one joint pronates, your knee will have to compensate. If your knee can't compensate, your hip will. If your hip cannot compensate, your back will," El-Samad explains. "So it's a lot bigger problem that just having flatfoot."

Nabil Mikhail says throughout his life, his painful feet gave him an excuse to "be lazy and not push beyond what was expected," which was little, he adds regrettably.

Thanks to the procedure, and his parents' proactive approach to seek a solution, Daniel will have a chance to excel where his father was held back.

"This will give him a chance to do his best and his best won't be limited because of his flat feet," Nabil Mikhail says.