You want your kids to be successful and healthy. Every good parent does. That’s why you send your children to school and take them to doctor’s appointments. That’s also why you should be concerned about their foot health. The lower limbs play a critical role in a child’s health and mobility, both now and as they grow up. Investing in pediatric foot care and proper footwear helps your kids develop and maintain successful feet for life.

Raising Healthy Feet

Pediatric Foot CareFeet are the body’s foundation. They form a solid base that helps keep you upright and allows you to move around at will. Like every other part of a child’s body, feet have to grow over time. They slowly develop and become stronger so that they can carry you for thousands of miles throughout your lifetime.

Like adult feet, kids’ lower limbs can be subject to injuries and health problems. Issues that develop in the lower limbs have repercussions that can be felt literally up into other parts of the body. They can establish unhealthy habits or faulty biomechanics that cause problems later in adulthood, too. That’s why pediatric foot care is so important. Dealing with lower limb health now, when it first becomes a problem, is the key to eliminating discomfort and growing healthy feet. There are a number of common pediatric problems that our team at Foot Specialist of Long Island sees.

Intoeing/Out-toeing

These gait abnormalities usually appear during early childhood into the early school years, when children are first walking and improving their coordination. The toes appear to point either in or out when your child stands and begins to walk. Children usually outgrow this, but the condition is worth monitoring, especially if it impairs mobility in any way.

Pediatric Flat Feet

The foot’s arch typically develops during early childhood, when your son or daughter begins walking. Some kids have naturally low arches, and others may not develop them at all. If this causes your child pain, he or she will need conservative care to support the midfoot.

Plantar Warts

These fleshy growths are the result of a virus getting into the skin. They can develop anywhere on the lower limbs, but they are called plantar warts when they appear on the sole of the foot. The lump itself is benign, if unsightly, though it can be uncomfortable to put pressure on it.

Freiberg’s Disease

This is an unusual problem that causes discomfort in the ball of the foot. Excessive pressure on the metatarsal heads cause the end of the second toe bone to break down. This can deform that particular bone and cause difficulty walking. Prompt treatment can help your child avoid surgery to correct it.

Sever’s Disease

This is actually an overuse injury that causes heel pain in active children. Rapid growth with excessive strain on the heel inflames the growth plate and creates discomfort. This can make it very painful for a child to participate in sports or other activities.

Juvenile Bunions

While it is more common in adults, adolescents can have bunions and bunionettes as well. There are ways to treat the symptoms of a bunion, which normally requires a change in footwear, but eliminating the problem completely requires surgical treatment. Dr. Gasparini can help guide you on what kinds of treatments would be right for you or your children.

Feet for Life

Your child’s feet are meant to last him or her for a lifetime. They don’t get a second pair. The lower limbs play an enormous role in mobility and general health and comfort. Taking care of issues when your child is young, and establishing those healthy foot care habits can set your child on a track to maintain strong, stable, and comfortable feet in adulthood.

Pediatric foot care is important, so don’t neglect it! Mark Gasparini, D.P.M., and our team at Foot Specialist of Long Island, are experts dedicated to helping your whole family at every stage of life. Let us help with your children’s foot care and success in their long-term health. Just call (516) 804-9038 or use the website to make an appointment with us. Our Massapequa office serves the Lindenhurst, Massapequa Park, Farmingdale, Bethpage, Wantagh, and Seaford areas.