Children and adolescents experience a variety of foot and ankle problems. From sports injuries to growth problems and ingrown toenails, kids foot problems are common. Here is an overview on some common kids foot problems and solutions to make sure your children's feet stay healthy. As with any injury, don't let your children live with foot pain. Talk to your podiatrist and teach kids early on that foot and ankle problems-or pain of any kind-should be treated and prevented.
1) Sports Injuries in Children. Most children participate on sport's teams and it's almost a rite of passage to experience some kind of injury. Talk to your kids about how their body feels and make sure foot aches and pains do not go untreated. Some of the most common foot injuries in children are due to overuse, lack of training, improper shoes, accidents, and lack of coordination.
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Also keep in mind that children's sports participation has changed over the years and has become more complex. To limit sports injuries and children's foot problems, parents should encourage their children to participate in sports, but never forget that competition should be fun. Too much emphasis on winning can alienate a child from athletic competition and cause undue risks to be taken.
2) Heel Pain in Children. Most children do not get heel pain. However, if they do, the most common cause is a condition called Calcaneal Apophysitis or Severs disease. This is a disturbance to the growing area at the back of the heel bone where the strong Achilles tendon attaches to it. Kids will notice pain at the back and side of the heel, and sometimes there is pain at the bottom of the heel too. Sports and physical activity such as running and jumping will cause the pain to increase. The most common age for this condition is between ages 10-14 and it usually responds readily to treatment.
Some things to try for heel pain in kids include reducing (but not stopping) sporting activities until symptoms improve, or taking a total break if the condition has been around for a while. Children should also avoid going barefoot, use an icepack after exercise, do stretching exercises, and use a heel lift or arch support. In very rare cases, more aggressive treatment might be needed, so consult with a podiatrist.
3) Ingrown toenails in Children. Ingrown toenails can be very painful. If they are not treated early, an infection can set in, so early treatment is important. Most of the time an ingrown toenail can be taken care of very quickly and painlessly by a podiatrist, eliminating the problem for good. The ingrown portion of the nail will be removed by trimming the nail corner or in some cases removing the edge of the nail back to the cuticle.
To prevent ingrown toenails, teach kids to trim their toenails straight across, rather than at an angle. It's also important to replace shoes that have become too tight. If your child has sustained an injury to the toe or stubbed it, an ingrown toenail could result, so be sure to watch for this type of problem in active kids.
Lastly, injuries and pain in the foot or ankle can negatively affect a child's social, physical, and emotional development. Finding the most positive results to kids foot problems over the long term can keep children healthy in more ways that one. Most treatment for kid's foot problems is conservative and pain free.
Kids Foot Problems and Solutions SEVERS
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