Don’t Ignore Those Little Legs
It is usual for most parents to mandatorily take their children for routine eye, teeth and other check-ups to ensure they are healthy and disease-free. But when was the last time you had your child assessed for physical and structural alignment to ascertain an A+, just like their academic performance? Not very often, we bet.
Feet lay the foundation of a body. With children growing and changing daily, it is exciting to watch them grow and stand on their feet. A baby’s feet are primarily made of soft and pliable cartilage. Until the bones are fully grown and developed, you must take care of your child’s bones. The complex network of bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels and tissues must work in sync and efficiency without bringing any pain while body weight is transferred to the feet.
If the structure grows out of balance and is dealigned, it can impact the entire body leading to poor posture, muscle tightness, loss of physical activity and unavoidable pain. If your child is telling you that they are in pain, don’t be under the misconception that it is normal and will get fine with time and age. No, it can severely impact your child’s physical being and could be more severe than ever imagined. Simple foot, knee, heel or back pain can result in acute pain and permanent damage if self-diagnosed and ignored.
It is common for the foot ailments such as cramping, limping, ankles turning in more than usual, pain, foot arch flattening or a change in the physical activity to go unnoticed to the eye. But, if you catch any such deformities or disorders, you must instantly seek professional assistance from a renowned and qualified podiatrist.
Reasons Why Your Child Needs A Podiatrist
Down below, we have enumerated common foot problems that a podiatrist can help with for babies, toddlers, adolescents and teenagers:
- In-Grown Toe Nails:
Have you noticed your child limping or walking differently lately, or are they avoiding wearing footwear? If yes, your child might be tolerating and putting up with an ingrown toenail. If you look closely, you will notice swelling and redness. Not only is the area too painful to touch, but the toenail may be infected with yellow or white fluid/pus flowing from it. Consulting a podiatrist can help identify the underlying problem. Still, common causes are wearing tight shoes and cutting nails too short or with rounded edges that allow the skin to grow over them.
- Flat Foot:
Flat feet or fallen arches are a common problem in babies. As the name implies, they are born with feet that are flatter on the bottom with arches that are not yet developed. This can be a genetic disorder, but flexibility in joints and bones can also cause the feet to flatten when they try to stand. Physical therapy from a podiatrist can help align the feet and reduce the pain when the feet are developing and growing.
- Plantar Warts:
A plantar wart is a skin condition that appears on the surface of the bottom of your foot, i.e. heels or balls of the feet. These are rough, tiny growth caused by a virus transmitted in moist environments like locker rooms and swimming pools. A plantar wart is mistaken as a corn as they are round, thick and painful when one tries to stand on them. Even though this condition sometimes disappears on its own, it can resurface if the virus is not cleansed and treated from within. Hence, meeting a podiatrist can stop this disease from multiplying.
- Sever’s Condition:
Sever’s disease is a painful condition and is very common in children. It occurs when the Achilles Tendon (attached to the back of the heel) pulls the growth plate of the bone of the heel. Repeated strain due to increased physical activity can cause inflammation and heel pain. This problem is active amongst children ages 8 to 14 years. While sever’s heel is a painful condition, it is not a severe and long-lasting ailment that cannot be treated under proper medical assistance from a podiatrist.
- Osgood Schlatters:
Osgood Schlatters is a knee pain issue common in growing adolescents. When bones, muscles, tendons and other structures change, it occurs during the growth spurts. It occurs in children who participate in athletics, especially jumping and running, wherein more pressure and stress are put on bones and muscles. However, less active children may also catch this problem. Simple measures like applying ice or over-the-counter medication can ease the pain and inflammation in a day or two. Still, for a comprehensive remedy, you need stretches and exercises by a podiatrist.
Barefeet Podiatry to the Rescue
All your foot and heel problems have a robust and trusted solution at Sydney’s best podiatrist clinic by Dr Louise Buchtman at Barefeet Podiatry. With over 15 years of experience in curing adult and child foot and heel pain, your bones and muscles are in safe hands. You can trust us! To schedule an appointment, you can call on (02) 91582403 and instantly enjoy a pain-free walking experience like never before.