Pediatric Foot Care

Taking good care of your child can help them avoid problems in adulthood. As a parent, however, you may put too much emphasis on other aspects of health and wellbeing at the expense of equally important elements. One of the most ignored elements of childhood healthcare is the health of your child’s feet. Just like overall wellbeing, dental health, and eye care, foot health can play a massive role in your child’s wellbeing. A Scottsdale pediatric foot care specialist can help you alleviate any concerns you may have about the health of your child’s feet. They can ensure that your child’s bones and joints grow under the right conditions.

What is Pediatric Foot Care?

Pediatric foot care is a field of medicine that specializes in dealing with the development and health of your child’s feet. If you have a child with any abnormalities or deformities affecting their ankles or feet, they may need pediatric foot care early. However, not all foot problems affecting children are visible, so you need to have your child checked regularly by a foot specialist. This way, you can identify and manage different issues before they become too serious.

Developmental foot problems can cause gait disorders and have an impact on the alignment of the entire skeleton. Due to this, they may develop poor posture, chronic pain, or difficulty participating in sports and exercise. A pediatric foot care specialist can also treat different conditions and sports injuries.

What Conditions Can a Pediatric Foot Care Specialist Help With?

Some of the common conditions that may impact your child’s development include:

• Plantar warts
• Ingrown toenails
• Athlete’s foot

Some of the most prevalent structural foot issues affecting children include high arches and flat feet. In flat feet, your child will have an extremely low arch in the center of the foot. It often affects the alignment of the whole leg and adds pressure to other parts of the affected foot. High arches are the opposite of flat feet. It adds stress to the heel and ball of your child’s foot.

Although they do not always cause difficulties and can fade away as your child grows, the imbalances they cause can result in ankle problems and heel pain.

Since teenagers and young children can easily sustain injuries to their feet, pediatric foot care can ensure that the broken ends reconnect if they suffer bone fractures. Sprained ankle ligaments also occur often among children. Your child can also develop tendonitis and stress fractures due to overuse which can both cause chronic pain.

When Should You See a Pediatric Foot Specialist?

You may need to see a foot specialist if your child complains of foot pain or numbness as it can signify a more serious underlying problem. If you have a child with ingrown toenails, a pediatric foot specialist can help reduce pain and prevent infections by treating the problem. Also, get them to a hospital if they sustain injuries affecting the feet.

In summary, a pediatric foot specialist deals with the development and health of your child’s feet. They treat conditions such as plantar warts, athlete’s foot, and ingrown toenails. It would be best to take your child to a pediatric foot specialist if they complain about foot pain, have ingrown toenails, or suffer foot injuries.