Since your children’s bones, ligaments, and tendons are rapidly evolving along with rest of their bodies, there are certain foot and ankle injuries and diseases that tend to be more common for them. Carefully monitoring your child’s foot development along with at least yearly visits to your podiatrist will help avoid unnecessary surprises and complications.
Common foot problems for children include the following:
- Sever’s disease—The growth plate on the heel becomes swollen and very painful because it doesn’t keep up with the rate of growth of the bone. Over time, the two will coincide and the problem will most likely resolve.
- Achilles tendonitis—The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and when it becomes irritated it can cause problems for children and adults alike. The insertion point at the base of the heel is often the site of childhood foot pain.
- Fractures—Children are more susceptible to bone fractures since their bones are still developing and a lot weaker than adult bones.
- Ankle sprains and strains—This is one of the most common injuries in children and adults. Ankle sprains should always be treated promptly since a poorly treated sprain can cause future problems.
If you need help treating foot problems in children, seek the assistance of your podiatrist for the best advice and treatment. At Your Next Step, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies, along with years of experience, to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including sports injuries, joint pain, toe deformities, nail fungus, chronic tendon pain, and skin problems. Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich and Dr. Aliza V. Eisen provide high quality foot and ankle care to patients in the greater Philadelphia area at our offices conveniently located in Ardmore, Paoli, Woodlyn, and Downingtown. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.