Every parent likes to watch his or her children run around and play. However, what do you do when your child can’t run—or even walk—without pain and discomfort?

Childhood foot ailments are a high-priority concern. Children are highly susceptible to foot and ankle complications. Children are always moving, jumping, and playing, putting their bones and muscles under stress. Children’s feet are constantly growing, and children aren’t as stable and surefooted as adults. Now add in the fact that children seem almost magnetically attracted to dirt, grime, bacteria, and viruses.

As a result, children are vulnerable to a host of potentially severe foot problems. If these conditions are not treated promptly, your child might experience severe pain. He may have lifelong changes in his foot health, and could lose the ability to walk.

This is why it is important for parents not only to monitor their children’s overall health, but also to make sure their feet are in prime health at all times. And that’s where we come in.

Foot Care for Your Child’s Needs

As an adult, you know how pain and discomfort in one area of your body can affect your entire body. In addition to trying to overcompensate to alleviate pain, the stress and anxiety of that pain can cause depression, irritability, and anxiety.

Now try to think how your child feels. Not only is he experiencing a new pain, but he doesn’t know where it’s coming from, or why. He doesn’t know how to relieve his pain, or even whether it CAN be relieved. It’s not only discomfort that causes him to cry—it’s also fear.

Think about it. How many times has he gotten a small scratch and acted like the world is ending? Although you may know (or think) that it isn’t a big deal, to him it is. So how would he feel if he had constant pain every time he took a step?

No matter how small a problem you may think it is, to protect your child you must take it seriously, especially since small problems can grow into serious conditions

Common problems include:

• Heel pain
• Ingrown toenails
• Warts (extremely common in children due to their propensity to walk around barefoot)
• Sprains(Link) and fractures(Link)

As well as serious conditions such as:

• Club foot. This term is used for a range of congenital foot abnormalities usually present at birth where your baby’s foot is twisted out of shape or position. The tissues connecting the muscles to the bone are generally shorter than usual, causing the foot to be pulled in an awkward position. If not treated, it can cause severe pain and make it difficult, if not impossible, for your baby to crawl and walk normally.
• Flat feet. Most babies are born with flat feet and don’t develop their full arches until around six years old. This isn’t really a concern for infants, as they don’t put pressure on their feet until they begin to walk. However, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of children fail to develop significant arches in one or both feet. Underdeveloped arches cause children to remain flat-footed into adolescence and adulthood, causing severe and painful foot, arch, ankle, and leg problems if not treated.
• In-toeing and out-toeing. So-called “pigeon toes” occur when a child crawls or walks with his feet turned at an angle (either outward or inward). This is common in children up to 18 months, but if it continues for a longer period of time, it could cause knee, ankle and foot problems later in life.
• Sever’s disease. Sever’s disease is a painful bone disorder that results from inflammation of the growth plate in the heel. As a child grows, the cartilage in his heel expands, and the cells calcify to create bone. These “bone cells” collect and unite to enlarge the heel bone. However, during growth spurts, the cartilage can become inflamed and cause severe pain.

Stomping Out the Pain With Comforting Care and State-of-the-Art Treatments

Although some podiatrists are limited when it comes to caring for fragile children’s feet, we believe that no matter what age, our clients deserve proper care. This is why we provide treatment options to specifically cater to children’s feet. These include:

• Diagnostic services
• Regenerative medicine and techniques
• Pain management
• Lifestyle change advice and care
• Non-invasive procedures, including laser therapy
• Surgical options
• Comprehensive parental guidance for overall foot care

Helping Your Child Painlessly Walk, Run, and Play

We know how stressful and emotional it is to watch your child struggle with pain. Even after 44 years of treating children, every time a new client comes in with tears in his eyes, we find a renewed purpose in making sure he walks out our door with a smile on his face.

There is no need for your child to suffer pain, embarrassment, or functional difficulty any longer. Contact us today at 855-465-2577 to set up an appointment for your little one…he’s depending on you.

Related Areas:

• Clubfoot
• Flat Feet
• Sever’s Disease
• Juvenile Bunions