Before you begin to encourage your family to move more, check everyone’s shoes still fit well and are fit for purpose.
Kids feet grow fast, so check to see if there is a thumb widths breadth from the longest toe to the tip of the shoe.
The last thing you (or they!) want is to be complaining about sore feet or legs…
*Source foothealthaustralia.org.au
Problems with your child’s feet could become problems for life if not treated early. Foot conditions have the potential to develop into knee, hip and back pain that can have serious consequences on development and posture. Bones and joints in children are constantly growing and are not fully developed until adulthood.
Every school term there will be some kind of change in growing feet, particularly in the 8-12 age bracket. After the summer break, spent mostly barefoot or in thongs, it’s good to remeasure feet and purchase correct fitting school and sports shoes for the upcoming year.
Tips for purchasing shoes at any age:
*Wear hand-me-down shoes with caution. An old shoe belonging to someone else will take on their shape and gait, which will not be the same as the new wearer. Buying a new shoe is recommended.
Every year at Total Care Podiatry we have a Back to School Free Foot check event and mid-year a Free Family Foot check event.
Pain can be a subjective experience, yet no matter how it is packaged it shouldn’t be ignored. To avoid pain it is important to have shoes that fit well and are comfortable, since pain in your feet can trigger a ‘chain effect’ of pain elsewhere such as in your hips or knees.
DO
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*Source foothealthaustralia.org.au
Also known as genu valgus, is when the knees ‘face each other’.
This position commonly occurs between the ages of 3 to 4 and will slowly reduce or ‘straighten up’ with age.
Flat feet are very common in children as they develop proper foot structure and muscle strength. Children may have a ‘collapsed arch’ or rolled in ankles. This is often associated with decreased muscle strength and joint flexibility.
Is pain most commonly affecting the legs during adolescence. This pain most often occurs at afternoon to night time and will affect the muscles.
Growing pains is defined as pain in the muscles and not the bones or joints. Often it is genralised muscle pain which is often described as non-specific pain.
There are many theories as to why it occurs. The first theory is that due to large amounts of growth in a short time, there is an increased effort for the leg muscles to work and so pain occurs. The second is that the muscles fatigue due to overuse in active children. Lastly, there may be a psychological aspect to the pain development within the brain.
Growing pains is linked to obesity, lowered pain thresholds, decreased bone strength and is more prevalent in children who suffer migraines.
The symptoms will include being bilateral, pain in the late afternoon or evening, intermittent pain with some pain free days and is most likely be in the calf or quad muscles.
If the symptoms are unilateral, persistent, within joint or persistent until the next morning, see your doctor immediately.
Every month at Total Care Podiatry we run a complimentary morning clinic to support the little feet that run around our community. We run short appointments designed to be a screening check of any areas of concern you may have for your child’s feet.
Commonly we check for:
Following a short appointment, we can provide some advice for next steps forward. These may include a more in depth follow up appointment, footwear recommendations or activity changes.
Bookings are essential – please phone our friendly staff on 5223 1531 to secure your free paediatric appoint today
‘W-Sitting’ is where a child sits on the floor with their knees out forward and their legs splayed outwards to replicate a ‘W’. During their young age, sitting positions and activities will play a large role in the development of their lower limbs. ‘W-sitting’ particularly affects the hips and surrounding soft tissue such as ligaments and muscles.
This position encourages internal rotation of the hips and loosening these soft tissues to maintain this posture. These changes may also alter the child’s walking pattern. Internally rotated hips may result in a ‘pigeon-toed’ or with ‘knees pointing inwards’ while the child walks. The child may experience clumsiness, fatigue or lack of confidence in their walking and during sports.
What can we do about it?
Encourage proper seating postures such as sitting ‘crossed legged’, this position externally rotates the legs and allows for proper development. As well as doing activities which strengthen posterior muscles (such as the gluteals) are encouraged.
If your child experiences these symptoms, an assessment with a podiatrist may be required.
A podiatrist is an Allied health professional in foot care. Podiatrists help people in the care of their lower limbs including the foot and ankle and may also be involved in supporting older people to reduce their risk of falling.
They can treat conditions such as toe fungus, ingrown toenails, corns, calluses, bunions, infections and foot injuries. Podiatrists can perform ingrown toenail surgery using a local anaesthetic.
Podiatrists mainly work in private practices but also work in a range of health settings including hospitals, aged care, sports clinics and research and policy organisations.
There are a wide range of reasons to see a podiatrist but some typical foot conditions include heel pain, bunions, ingrown toenails, tinea, plantar warts, corns and calluses. Some typical examples of why someone might see a podiatrist are:
Podiatrists provide a wide range of services from the treatment of calluses to the treatment of bone and joint disorders. For conditions such as recurring sprains and chronic pain, podiatrists may prescribe foot orthoses.
The podiatrist’s scope of practice includes areas such as paediatrics, diabetes, sports injuries, structural problems, treatment of the elderly as well as general foot care.
Podiatrists with additional qualifications and registration may also perform foot surgery.
In order to practice in Australia, a podiatrist must complete the following:
Skip a step and make a direct booking with one of our qualified podiatrists today on 5223 1531
SECURE YOUR APPOINTMENT FOR JULY 2020 ~ call 5223 1531
