Pediatric Podiatry

Take a step in the right direction with a visit to Advanced Footcare Inc.. Our experienced physicians offer complete care for any age and cutting-edge techniques to treat foot and ankle diseases, injuries and other disorders that may be slowing you or your child down. Let our team of highly trained podiatrists help you get back on pace.

It’s very important to begin foot care at a very young age because feet carry people for their entire lives. Children can be affected by foot conditions including warts, heel pain, ingrown nails, flat feet, sport injuries or intoeing or outoeing.

Foot Care for Children

Neglecting foot health invites problems in other parts of the body, such as the legs and back. There can also be undesirable personality effects. The youngster with troublesome feet walks awkwardly and usually has poor general posture. As a result, the growing child may become shy, introverted, and avoid athletics and social functions. Consultation between the podiatrist, pediatrician, and other medical specialists helps to resolve these related problems.

Foot Care for Babies

The Human foot is one of the most complicated parts of the body – it has 26 bones, and has ligaments, muscles, blood vessels and nerves. The feet of a young child are soft and pliable; abnormal pressure can cause deformities. A child’s feet grows rapidly during the first year, reaching almost half their adult foot size. Podiatrist, consider the first year to be the most important in development.

Tips to help foot development occur normally:

* Provide exercise; lying uncovered provides kicking and other related motions which prepare the feet for weight bearing.

* Change the baby’s position several times a day.

* Look at your baby’s feet often if you notice something that does not look normal to you, ask your family physician or podiatrist.
* Cover the baby’s feet loosely; tight covers restrict movement.

Growing up

While children’s feet continue to grow and develop, it may be necessary to change shoe and sock size every few months. Improper footwear can aggravate preexisting conditions. Shoes or other footwear should never be handed down.

The feet of young children are often unstable because of muscle problems which make walking difficult or uncomfortable. A thorough examination by a podiatrist may detect an underlying defect or condition which may require immediate treatment or consultation with another specialist.

The American Podiatric Medical Association has long known of the high incidence of foot defects among the young and recommends foot health examinations for school children on a regular basis.

Parents should consider discussing these matters with their family podiatrist if they have children participating in active sports. Sports-related foot and ankle injuries are on the rise as more children participate actively in sports.