Your child’s foot growth could be a strong indicator of their overall health, providing insight into their development, nutrition, skeletal health, and more. This can reveal a surprising amount about their well-being, from their growth trajectory to potential underlying medical conditions. At Your Next Step, we consider pediatric foot growth while examining podiatric issues, as it can provide necessary information for diagnosis and treatment.

What Foot Growth Reveals

How your child’s feet are progressing can help us understand various health markers, including:

1. Growth and Development

Consistent foot growth usually indicates that a child is growing and developing at a normal pace. Rapid growth spurts in foot size, for instance, often precede spurts in height.

But, if foot growth is significantly delayed or abnormal, it could be a sign of an underlying developmental issue or medical condition that needs further investigation.

2. Nutritional Status

• Adequate Nutrition: Healthy foot growth relies on adequate nutrition, particularly calcium, vitamin D, and protein. Poor foot growth or weak bones can sometimes indicate nutritional deficiencies.  
• Underlying Conditions: Certain nutritional deficiencies or metabolic disorders can affect bone health and growth, which may manifest in the feet.

3. Biomechanical Alignment

Normal foot development typically results in proper biomechanical alignment of the feet and legs.

However, abnormal foot growth, typically meaning deformities like flat feet or high arches, can indicate underlying biomechanical issues that may require intervention.

4. Underlying Medical Conditions

In some cases, foot growth abnormalities can be a sign of systemic diseases or conditions. These can include:

• Growth hormone deficiency, which can lead to slowed or stunted growth.
• Skeletal dysplasia, a genetic disorder that affects bone development and can cause various foot deformities.
• Juvenile arthritis, which can cause pain, swelling, stiffness in the joints, and delayed foot growth and development.

5. Foot Health

Issues in other areas inform the health of the child’s feet themselves. Proper foot growth provides a strong, well-functioning foundation for adulthood, whereas abnormal foot growth or deformities can increase the risk of foot pain and injuries later in life.

Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich, Dr. Aliza V. Eisen, and Dr. Cassandra Stache are happy to cater to your foot and ankle problems. Schedule your appointment and contact us today!