Podiatry for Children

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Is your child complaining of pain after sport?  Or do you notice them limping after the game? 

Children are active, always on the go.  Their feet are constantly growing and when you combine the growing foot and lots of activity, sometimes this can lead to pain.  Many of the issues we see in our clinic are around the time children go through growth spurts, where the foot bones grow but the muscles and tendons don’t have a chance to catch up.  These muscles and tendons become tight and can pull on the newly forming growth plate in their feet.

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 SEVERS- Ongoing heel pain in children can impact their enjoyment of being active

If your child commonly complains of sore heels at the end of sport or you notice them limping after a game, they may be suffering from Severs.  Severs is a common issue and usually affects boys more than girls and occurs when they are between the ages of 8 and 12 when their heel bone and lower legs go through a growth spurt.  It is nothing to be alarmed about, but should be treated to prevent creating a longer term issue.

Let us make sure your children's active feet are healthy and strong, give us a call today

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Accurate diagnosis is very important for your child's development

Our podiatrists will go through a very thorough history of your child, including questions surrounding their milestones and younger years.  We will then ask your child questions to find out more about the pain.  We like to use pictures and diagrams and encourage them to be as descriptive as possible.  Then we will do a brief assessment of their joints and walking, as there are often issues like flat feet, tight calf muscles that causes the problem.  We can often diagnose severs through our assessments without the use of x-ray or ultrasounds.

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Your child doesn’t need to stop playing sport, we can help.

It is important for children to be active.  Some children will refuse to play sport because of the pain, but with treatment your child should be able to continue playing the sports they love.  There are a range of effective treatments available once we diagnose the root cause: 

• Heel raises

• Arch supports

• Strapping

• Stretches and strengthening exercises

• Activity modifications where needed

• Temporary crutches or CAM boots (in severe cases)

 

Other conditions commonly seen in children that we can develop effective treatment plans for:

• Curly toes

• Flat feet

• Knee pain

• Warts

• Tinea

• Knock knees

• In-toeing/out-toeing

• Toe walking

Give your child the best chance at returning to sport pain free and living an active life. 

Act now and call us today