Recently a lot of my adult patients have been asking me when is the appropriate age to have their child's feet evaluated. Most parents wont even think about taking their child to a Podiatrist unless the child complains about their feet. Commonly it will take a parent watching their child walk to realize that something might not be correct and even then they are sometimes told by their pediatrician that it is something the child will grow out of.
Most specialists will agree that as soon as your child begins to have unassisted stance (able to walk without you holding them up) there feet should be evaluated. At 8-13 months a child will begin to weight bear. During this time the immature and misaligned osseous (bones) infant framework begins to be susceptible to the deforming forces of gravity. I believe that early intervention in the developmentally challenged foot leads to bony remodeling which can lead to a more normal alignment of the foot structure.
So how do you know if your Child's feet need Evaluation?
If you notice that your child is unbalanced, seems to be walking with a limp or a rotation in their feet. Toe walking and wearing out shoes on one side only, are also signs that require evaluation.
What to Expect with the Evaluation?
First a bio mechanical exam will be performed. A gait analysis will follow with recommendations for appropriate shoe gear as well as orthotics if crucial for ambulation. Most children are able to use an over the counter support until they are 5 or 6. Once a child is able to walk down stairs one step at a time without holding on to the handrail they have developed a propulsive phase and need more custom devices.
Most children that are placed into custom devices will require lifelong treatment. It is the parents responsibility to allow for adequate control while the child is growing. So remember if you think that your child may walk differently then the other kids have their feet checked. You could be preventing future deformities.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
How Do I Protect My Child's Feet This Summer?
Summertime is around the bend! I can see it now. Flip flops, bare feet, pool parties, gyms, water parks and such! There are all kinds of wonderful pathogens waiting to invade. The most common for children include warts, athlete’s foot, insect bites and foreign bodies (stepping on something). How do we keep our environment clean enough to keep this stuff away? Simply put, you can’t! How then do we protect our children's feet without keeping them away from the things they love to do? Now this is entirely possible!
Let’s talk warts. Warts are a virus. They are about as preventable as a cold! We still do all we can to avoid a cold by washing our hands and not sneezing on our children. What can we do to prevent warts? Well, number one on my list is to protect your children’s feet as much as you can by having them wear water shoes when they are at water parks (the wart virus thrives around public pools) and flip flops around gym locker rooms and showers. During the summer months, I routinely check the bottoms of my children’s feet to make sure nothing is “popping up”. Warts are very manageable when they are small.
Althete's foot is created by fungus in a moist environment. Conveniently so, the way you protect your children’s feet from getting athletes’ foot is essentially with the same protective foot wear around pools, locker rooms, gym showers and the like. Make sure your children dry well in between their toes after bathing before putting their socks on. Using an anti-fungal powder and changing their socks (if their feet sweat a lot during the day) keeps moisture under control as well. It also helps to spray their foot wear with an anti-fungal spray.
As far as insect bites and foreign bodies go, it really depends on how much freedom you want to give your children’s feet! There are parents who walk around the yard barefoot and those who wouldn’t dare.
Bare feet come with risks any way you look at it. Yes, there is an increased risk for athlete’s foot keeping protective shoe gear on, but athlete’s foot is a lot easier to get rid of than the other options!
Always make sure you are prepared with the essentials for healthy foot care before summer. Doing so will allow you and your children to enjoy the summer knowing their feet can too!
Let’s talk warts. Warts are a virus. They are about as preventable as a cold! We still do all we can to avoid a cold by washing our hands and not sneezing on our children. What can we do to prevent warts? Well, number one on my list is to protect your children’s feet as much as you can by having them wear water shoes when they are at water parks (the wart virus thrives around public pools) and flip flops around gym locker rooms and showers. During the summer months, I routinely check the bottoms of my children’s feet to make sure nothing is “popping up”. Warts are very manageable when they are small.
Althete's foot is created by fungus in a moist environment. Conveniently so, the way you protect your children’s feet from getting athletes’ foot is essentially with the same protective foot wear around pools, locker rooms, gym showers and the like. Make sure your children dry well in between their toes after bathing before putting their socks on. Using an anti-fungal powder and changing their socks (if their feet sweat a lot during the day) keeps moisture under control as well. It also helps to spray their foot wear with an anti-fungal spray.
As far as insect bites and foreign bodies go, it really depends on how much freedom you want to give your children’s feet! There are parents who walk around the yard barefoot and those who wouldn’t dare.
Bare feet come with risks any way you look at it. Yes, there is an increased risk for athlete’s foot keeping protective shoe gear on, but athlete’s foot is a lot easier to get rid of than the other options!
Always make sure you are prepared with the essentials for healthy foot care before summer. Doing so will allow you and your children to enjoy the summer knowing their feet can too!
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