Common Children’s Foot Problems
When it comes to children’s health, parents will do everything they can to keep them safe and healthy. We encourage you to put that much effort into their foot health as well. Children are constantly growing along with developing and keeping track of their foot health can be difficult. We’ve got a few tips and common problems to look out for over their years of happy and healthy growth.
- Growing Pains are not normal for children’s feet and ankles. Pain in their lower extremities usually indicates that something is wrong. Don’t ignore the pain – treat it with rest, and if conditions do not improve, come see one of our podiatrists.
- Hygiene and Daily Care includes washing the feet daily and checking them for any problems. Treat any issues right away to prevent worse symptoms. Also, be sure to clean toenails, trimming them straight across, and clean between the toes. Daily cleaning will help prevent infections like plantar warts.
- Birth Deformities such as clubfoot will be diagnosed shortly after birth since the foot will be misshapen. This condition can be treated soon after since babies’ feet are still malleable.
- Observe your walking toddler for signs of issues such as in- or out-toeing, pronation, flat feet, knock knees, or bowlegs. These issues can cause problems with development especially if they do not resolve by the time they are in school. Correcting some of these problems may involve using orthotics and physical therapy.
- Protect feet and ankles while playing sports by using the appropriate equipment and conditioning. Children are at risk of sports-related injuries like Sever’s Disease (which will present in the form of heel pain) and fractures from traumatic injury since their bones are still solidifying. Additionally, be sure that they get adequate rest if they complain of pain, since overuse injuries can cause that pain.
- Buy shoes that fit their growing feet. This may mean a new pair every few months, and while that may seem like a lot of money, your children can develop growth deformities or painful symptoms if their shoes do not fit properly. Avoid the temptation to buy a size up so that they will fit into shoes longer, as this can cause other problems with walking and straining their ligaments and tendons.
Prevention is easier than correction. Treat symptoms earlier than later to prevent worse problems later on. If your child complains of pain or limps out of bed, make an appointment today at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group for treatment options after a thorough assessment. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, Dr. Faye E. Izadi will be happy to help at either of our Orange County offices in Seal Beach, CA and Los Alamitos, CA.
