Children's Foot Care FAQs

Shoes for children affect the health and stability of your son or daughter’s feet. Make sure you help your child select footwear that benefits his or her limbs, not just on cosmetic merits alone. Fitting children’s shoes properly is particularly important. Measure your child’s feet before looking for shoe sizes. Then select a size that is about half an inch longer than your child’s longest toe. This ensures there is room for feet to grow. The front of the shoe should be rounded and high enough that your child can wiggle his or her toes. One finger should fit snugly between the back of the shoe and your child’s foot.

Keep in mind your child’s age and walking development as well: babies only need soft booties, toddlers need flexible styles that let them walk easily, and older children need more durable footwear for playing. If you need help finding or fitting children’s shoes, call Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Parker, Cherry Creek, and Castle Pines, CO, for more information or an appointment. Call (303) 805-5156 or use the web request form to reach us.

Children and teens can definitely develop a juvenile bunion. This problem appears just like the one you find in adults—the big toe leans in toward the smaller digits, while its metatarsal tilts in the opposite direction. The joint where the two meet bulges out to the side of your child’s foot. Bunions in children are slightly different from adults, however. Although the deformity is the same, it doesn’t necessarily develop for the same reasons. The adult condition develops when the forefoot suffers under abnormal, excessive pressure for a long period of time. In children, the foot is usually hypermobile and not as secure in the joints. Stress from flat feet or bad shoes encourages the first metatarsal to drift and the big toe to tilt in, creating the bunion bulge.

The good news is that nearly all treatment types for a juvenile bunion are conservative. Children and teens rarely need surgery to manage discomfort and prevent the problem from getting worse. If your child has a bunion issue, let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek in Denver, and Parker, CO, help care for it. Use our online form to make an appointment today.

Whether or not your child’s high arches need treatment largely depends on whether or not they cause pain or difficulty when walking, or if the condition is connected to a neuromuscular disorder. If your child’s feet aren’t uncomfortable or connected to a bigger problem, he or she might not need treatment. If there is discomfort or another condition, though, it’s important to treat high arches and any underlying causes sooner rather than later.

In most cases, conservative care is enough. Support the arch with custom orthotics that help your child’s feet distribute weight more evenly. Have your child wear shoes with cushioned soles as well. If his or her ankles are unstable, a brace or high-top shoes might be helpful. Dr. Cynthia Oberholtzer-Classen andthe team will check for neuromuscular problems and help your son or daughter get the right care if a condition exists. Let Podiatry Associates, P.C. help you care for your child’s arches. Call (303) 805-5156 to reach our offices in Castle Pines or Parker, CO.

High arches in children’s feet are usually a visible problem. When your son or daughter stands, the curved area under the midfoot will appear higher than normal. Your child may have difficulty finding shoes that fit well without pinching the top of his or her feet. Your child might be prone to metatarsalgia or heel pain, too. In some cases, the pressure on the ball of the foot from higher-than-normal arches can lead to callus build-up, claw toes, or hammertoes. This kind of midfoot also makes the lower limbs unstable, which could increase ankle sprains.

Because there is some degree of risk that high arches are connected to a neuromuscular disease, it’s a good idea to have your child’s feet checked if you’re concerned about his or her midfoot. Our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. will also help your child manage any discomfort from the condition. Make an appointment with us today by calling our Castle Pines or Parker, CO, offices at (303) 805-5156. You can also use our online request form. 

Babies’ feet turn inward for a variety of reasons. It could be as simple as intoeing. If your newborn has twisted, turned feet, though, your child is more likely displaying clubfoot symptoms. Clubfoot is one of the most common birth defects. The tendons connecting the lower leg muscles to the inside of one or both of your child’s feet are shorter than normal. This twists the feet sharply in at the ankle, so instead of the sole pointing downward, the side or even the top of your child’s foot points down. The affected calf may be significantly smaller and less developed, too. Fortunately, while your child is young and not walking, the condition doesn’t cause pain and can be treated conservatively.

The key to dealing with a twisted foot like this, of course, is to address the problem right away. Let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, and Parker, CO, help you straighten out your baby’s feet. Call (303) 805-5156 to make an appointment with us today. You can also use our web request form to reach us.

Successful clubfoot treatment doesn’t require a big surgery. In fact, the most common treatment plan is entirely conservative. It uses a process of stretching and casting to manipulate your baby’s foot into the correct position and help it grow there. Clubfoot surgery is reserved for stiff feet that aren’t helped by conservative methods.

Treatment begins shortly after your child is born. Our team of specialists will carefully and gently stretch your baby’s flexible feet to loosen up the soft tissues along the inside of the leg that are too short. After your infant’s feet have been moved into a natural position, they are casted into place to keep the stretch. After a week or so, the cast is removed. The whole process repeats for several weeks until your infant’s feet are completely corrected and straightened. As long as your baby’s Achilles is long enough, then, your child will move to wearing special brace shoes to keep the feet corrected. Your child will wear these braces for varying lengths of time for the next few years to make sure the deformity doesn’t come back. Let Podiatry Associates, P.C. help your child with treatment. Call (303) 805-5156 to make an appointment.

Calcaneal apophysitis, or Sever’s disease, is one of the most common causes of heel pain in children. Although it sounds intimidating and serious, it is a frequent issue among athletic, growing children. The heel bone grows faster than the connective tissues attached to it. This can lead to an uncomfortable tightening in the Achilles tendon, which pulls on the back of the heel. The growth plate there then becomes inflamed and painful. Regular activity like sports also aggravates the problem. The good news is that your child will eventually grow out of the condition. To handle the pain now, however, he or she will need treatment.

Our goal for your child is to allow them to continue their sporting events without pain. We will provide the most accurate diagnosis possible and design the best treatment plan for your child to relieve symptoms and stay active. Contact Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek and Parker for an appointment or more information to take care of your child’s feet. Call (303) 805-5156, or visit the website contact page to reach us.

As your child grows, one of the most quickly changing areas of his body will be his feet. At birth, your baby’s bones have not completely hardened, leaving them soft and malleable as they develop. There is also a lack of contour to your baby’s feet, because the fat covering the muscles and bone structure usually hides the shape of his feet.

As your child grows and starts to walk, an arch is formed and the baby fat is spread to the appropriate areas of the foot to provide cushioning. In some children, an arch does not form or is less strongly developed. This condition is called pes planus, or flat feet. Parents should be aware of this, as it can have a profound impact on their child’s foot health.

If your child has flat feet, here are a few of the ways he may be impacted:

• He may avoid running or playing sports because of the pain or discomfort of having flat feet.
• Flat feet can lead to obesity, due to a lack of activity.
• Flat feet can also lead to children being shy or having difficulty developing social skills, because they avoid common child social activities.

Custom orthotics can help correct this issue, helping your child feel more confident while being active on his feet. With the help of an orthotic, your child’s foot will have the support it needs to develop an arch and help learn proper foot mechanics.

The best place to find orthotics is by consulting with your podiatrist. This way, the orthotic can be fitted specifically to your child’s foot. Custom fit kiosks at stores are not able to do this effectively. If you want to help your child overcome flat feet, contact a podiatrist  at Podiatry Associates 303-805-5156 and schedule your consultation today at one of our Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, or Parker, CO locations.