Children foot and ankle problems can often be difficult for parents to identify. Children’s complaints and change in behaviour can easily be misinterpreted and misunderstood, especially when children are unable to explain what is wrong. As parents, nothing drives more concerns than making the wrong decision which can potentially lead to long term foot complications in children’s development.
​
5 Sign To Identify Common Problems With Children’s Feet
To assist parent in identifying potential foot problem with their children, below is the five warning signs a parent should watch out for.
-
Your child has difficulty keeping up the pace with their friends.
-
Your child voluntarily withdrawn from their favorite activities.
-
Your child does not want to show you their feet.
-
Your child often trips and falls.
-
Your child is complaining about foot sore and pain.
If any of the signs identified, prompt examination should be conducted by podiatrist for proper diagnosis and treatments.
Some feet conditions such as flat feet are conditions that babies normally born with. As they grow up, their feet will gradually develop normal positioned arches. However, some flat feet, if not managed during early childhood can develop into pathological, often painful, flat feet in adults. This is why it is better to have them assessed and treated earlier when your children are showing concerning symptoms such as poor walking pattern and massive shoes wear.
​
Other Common Foot Issues
There are a wide range of foot and leg issues that can affect children and early evaluation and management is very important in preventing foot problems later in life. Things to look out for include:
​
-
Heel pain (particularly with sports and activities)
-
Sever’s disease
-
Arch pain
-
Ankle pain
-
Knee pain
-
Flat feet
-
Frequent tripping and falling
-
Intoe walking
-
Night pain or pain with excessive activity
-
Rapid fatigue and avoidance in sports
-
Orthotics that are worn or look too small
-
Painful skin lesions - plantar warts, corn or callouses
-
Toenail problems including fungal toenail, traumatised toenail, ingrown toenail
​
Assessing a child's foot is very different to that of an adult, particularly if they have foot pain or require orthotics. Their rate of growth varies, their activities levels are different, and each have unique characteristics that require personalized attention and care.
At Passion Podiatry, we have a genuine focus on assessing and treating all children foot problems in depth and providing evidence based advice and treatment to make sure their outcomes are as best as possible.