Do you take your child for a foot checkup?

It is very normal for most parents to worry about children’s teeth, eyes, and also take their child for regular checkups to ensure they have healthy eyes and teeth. But the part of the body often ignored is the feet which are still-developing and those which have to carry the entire weight of the body through a lifetime?

A child’s feet are the foundation of their body. The feet of growing age child are soft and pliable. If feet are out of balance, the impact can be seen throughout the entire body structure. This can lead to poor posture, muscle tightness & mal-alignment.

This can have long-term effects on the physical activity levels & child may suffer from heel pain, knee pain, back pain, various disorders and deformities.

Therefore it is significant to have your child assessed for structural alignment for issues which is important for:

• Good posture
• Pain Free living
• Enhance physical performance
• Achieve full potential & stay competitive
• Energetic & Healthy Living

Intervening early and identifying the root cause of the problem, while bones are still rapidly growing, offers the best opportunity to make lasting improvements to a child’s foot & leg health. Many adult foot ailments have their origins in childhood and are present at birth.

Growing Age children (6 years to 16 years) should have a regular physical structural alignment checkup.

Important for parents to keenly observe their children’s feet as they grow:

1. Watch out for kids complaints of pain in the feet, heel, legs, knees etc. especially after sports and over exertion activities.
2. Periodic physical examination around the foot and ankle including toes and toe nails for dry skin, skin irritation, calluses, and abnormalities.
3. Pay attention to unexplained tripping and falling (if it happens regularly, the issue needs to be addressed)
4. Encourage your children to participate in various outdoor physical activities for challenging various muscle groups. What is even more important is that the parents participation to assess the progress of your child’s physical development.
5. Recommend periodic detailed evaluation of foot ankle and lower limb biomechanics and physical fitness.
6. Recommend the use of orthotics for biomechanical alignment to develop correct posture and gait.
7. Recommend proper foot size shoes that provide firm control and stability and make them wear throughout long hours of walking and/or physical activities.