Prioritizing Your Child's Foot Care

Here’s what you should know about keeping your child’s growing feet healthy.

Your child seems to be hitting one developmental milestone after the next. First, they were pulling themselves up, then standing and walking on their own and now they are old enough to play group sports. Of course, as they begin to use their feet more and more you may be focused on ways to keep their feet healthy. This is where our Bronx, NY, foot specialists Dr. Oscar Castillo, Dr. Robert Oropall and Dr. Jian Zhang can help. Since children’s feet are still developing they are also more susceptible to injury because the bones are still growing.

Are flatfeet a problem? 

Not necessarily. In fact, babies aren’t actually born with arches, they have to develop. Sometimes it can take up until a child turns six years old for arches to fully form in a child’s foot. So don’t immediately be concerned if your child’s feet don’t have arches; however, if your child is active or starts playing sports early in life, flat feet can lead to pain and stiffness. If this is a problem then it’s worth seeking pediatric foot care from our Bronx, NY, foot doctors.

How do I prevent sports-related injuries in my child? 

There are several ways to protect a child's feet from plantar fasciitis-related heel pain and sports injuries. Some of these preventive measures include, 

• Wearing properly fitted athletic footwear that is appropriate to the type of sports they are playing 
• Making sure that they are cross-training all year long to keep their feet and ankle strong and limber 
• Making sure that they warm-up about 15 minutes prior to playing a game or before physical activity 
• Making sure that they are regularly conditioning, even during the offseason 

How can I make sure that my child’s shoes fit properly? 

Kids' feet grow incredibly fast, right? So you may be concerned that their shoes may be too tight or may eventually cause problems. One way to prevent this from happening is to have a specialist measure your child’s feet at a shoe shop before fitting them. Children under three are most likely going to outgrow shoes four times a year, while children four to eight years old are more likely to outgrow their shoes every six months. Make sure you are checking the fit of your child’s current shoes regularly to see if they need the next size up. When in doubt, go to the shoe store for new measurements. 

When should my child visit the podiatrist?

Most people don’t think about a podiatrist being a regular part of a child’s medical team; however, it’s just as important that you are keeping up with your child’s foot and ankle health as you are the rest of their health. It may be time to see a podiatrist if, 

• There are any changes to their gait or the way they walk (e.g. bow-legged; limping) 
• The arches of their feet don’t develop by six years old 
• They experience a sports-related foot or ankle injury 
• They are experiencing any foot or ankle pain 
• There has been a decrease in activity due to foot or ankle problems 

Prioritizing your child’s foot health is important for all families, and the sooner you instill healthy foot and ankle habits into your child’s routine the better. Of course, if they do experience trauma or injury to the foot or ankle it’s important that you have a doctor you can turn to here in Bronx, NY, for comprehensive and gentle pediatric foot care. Call us today at (718) 792-5900.