Children’s Foot Problems
We love seeing kids healthy and happy, running around, playing with their friends and doing all the wonderful things that kids do. We specialise in kids feet and welcome children of all ages into the practice. No child is too young to be seen by a podiatrist.
We believe that kids should be free to enjoy their childhood years and grow without being limited by or even thinking about pain. Our proactive approach to kids Podiatry recognises that pain doesn’t occur for no reason and that while we could try waiting it out and hope that the pain resolves, why not do something to help now so that they can get back to playing, exploring and just being kids!
Do your kids have growing pains? You can get rid of them! Here’s how.
With so many changes regularly happening to growing feet and legs, it can be really difficult to tell what is and isn’t normal when it comes to kids feet. Many parents get worried when they see their toddler’s feet pointing inwards or outwards and if they appear to have flat arches. Children sometimes suffer growing pains, sore heels and sore knees, and the pain is usually particularly apparent after sport or activity. This may even cause your child to limp.
You may even notice lumps and bumps on the bottom of your child’s foot – rest assured, it’s most likely to be a wart or verruca!
It’s a good idea to bring your kids in if you’re concerned about:
- The way your child walks
- Any pain in the feet or legs
- Constant tripping and falling
- Not being able to keep up with friends
- Skin rashes between toes
- Discoloured or ingrown toenails
- Uneven shoewear
- Limping (particularly after activity)
- Abnormal foot or leg position
- Hard skin lumps or bumps; or
- Any other problems or abnormalities
You can find some more signs that you should have your kids feet checked by a Podiatrist here.
Don’t worry, we’re parents too so we know what it can be like! We’ll assess your kids, establish the diagnosis and cause, and work out a treatment and management plan together. Identifying and addressing issues early can help save a lot of work later in life so if in doubt, get it checked.
Treatments can include:
- Painless yet effective treatment of warts and verrucas
- Fun exercises for stretching and strengthening of muscles
- Footwear analysis and footwear advice
- Colourful strapping and taping for injuries
- Padding to alleviate pressure on sore spots
- Soft customised foot orthotics to control abnormal foot mechanics
- Conservative or surgical treatment of ingrown toenails
- Education about foot health and foot care