Children’s Podiatry
Does your child have leg pain? Does your child trip over nothing? Do your child’s toenails continue to become ingrown? Does your child have heel pain and cannot play sport comfortably?
Here at Hampton Podiatry, we recommend early intervention for the quickest recovery and most positive outcome for their future.
We understand it can be worrying when your child limps off the sports field or has pain in their legs when trying to sleep, that’s why we take the time to provide you and your child with an understanding of their diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment can be as simple as monitoring changes within your child or a footwear modification, other times an orthotic may need to be prescribed in order for long term changes to occur during growth. All options will be discussed with you and your child during the appointment.
Common conditions seen in children:
Heel Pain
Pain felt at the back of the heel bone, sometimes called Sever’s is due to repetitive stress or trauma to the growth plate. Can be uncomfortable for your child usually during activity or sport.
In-toeing
When your child’s feet turn inwards whilst walking, this can cause them to trip up over nothing or create leg and ankle pain. An assessment of their presentation can decipher the cause and treatment course.
Toe-walking
When your child walks on the balls of their feet with little to no heel contact to the ground. Prolonged toe walking can cause issues as your child grows, so is important to be assessed when you first notice this happening.
Leg Pain
Pain can be felt in several different areas throughout your child’s legs. The pain can come at rest or during sport and can sometimes be a result of your child growing.
Warts
Warts are common within children and can sometimes go unnoticed. Other times warts can be quite painful and stop your child from playing sport. Treatment options will be discussed during your appointment.
Ingrown Toenails
When your toenail grows into the skin, this can be very painful and make wearing shoes or playing sport quite uncomfortable. Conservative and surgical treatment options are available for your child.
Sporting Injuries
Children love to be active and play all different kinds of sport. Sometimes injuries within their sport are inevitable but their recovery and treatment plan is important for reoccurrence of the injury.
Other Conditions
There are many other presentations of pain and conditions that your child could be experiencing.
Call the clinic to discuss your child’s problem today.
What to expect during the appointment?
1. History
Our podiatrist will ask you and your child questions relating to their current injury or pain, activities or sports and footwear worn during school and outside of school.
2. Posture
We will assess your child’s foot and ankle posture and how this effects their body.
3. Gait analysis
An analysis of your child walking, running or completing movements relevant to the sport they play. Some examples of what we might be looking for are an in-toed gait (feet pointing inwards), toe-walking (walking on toes with little or no heel contact) or ankle pronation (rolling inwards).
4. Non-weightbearing assessment
An assessment of the range of motion through your child’s feet, ankles, knees and feet.
5. Force Platform
We use a force platform to show how pressure is distributed through your child’s feet.
6. Footwear assessment
Our podiatrist will review your child’s current footwear and provide advice if an update is needed.
7. Diagnosis
Taking all findings into account, a diagnosis will be made and discussed.
8. Treatment
Personalised to your child, a treatment plan could involve strapping, strengthening, offloading, footwear change and orthotics. The best option/s will be discussed with you and your child and a follow-up appointment will be organised.
FAQs
When should my child visit a podiatrist?
If you have any concerns with your child’s feet or how they walk, or if they are complaining of pain, we recommend a visit.
What should I bring to the appointment?
You should bring your child’s current footwear they wear for school, sport and casual use.
What should my child wear during the appointment?
Your child should wear clothes they feel comfortable in and can freely move in. If your appointment is after school then their school or sport uniform is perfect.
Book an Appointment
If you’re looking for an experienced podiatrist to deliver quality podiatry care, contact our team today.