Children's feet need attention
Children are always on their feet.
Those tootsies can take a beating and little problems often arise. It’s important to attend to any issues and that often means a trip to the podiatrist.
When to go
There are many reasons why children visit a podiatrist. The most common would be an ingrown toenail, warts or a foreign body. All of these can be easily resolved with a simple office visit. We also see more complicated conditions such as ankle trauma or pediatric flat foot. A flat foot is when people either have no arch or a very low one.
Footwear
The best footwear for children, and really everyone, is a good supportive shoe that does not bend easily such as sneakers. Most importantly, parents should monitor the size of their children’s foot as to ensure their footwear is not fitting too snugly.
Pedicures
As a father of three girls, there will come a time when they want a pedicure. My advice to them at that point is to make sure the establishment sterilizes their instruments properly. Not all salons are equal and these places can be a hotbed for many infectious conditions affecting the feet including fungus and warts.
Flat feet and ingrown toenails
With young children, concerns are more around flat feet than personal care. Flat feet do not necessarily cause pain in the child, but parental anxiety can be incited by the overall shape and structure of the foot. When children become adolescents, visits are more common for untreated ingrown toenails. Parents are generally unaware of this condition with the teen wearing shoes and socks. These can be quite painful for teenagers but are easily treated in a single office visit.
Warts
Warts are very common, especially among young children. Warts are contagious infections that thrive in public places such as public showers and water parks. Children should always wear sandals or water shoes in these environments. For treatment of warts in children, I recommend and provide an in-office acid treatment. This is completely painless yet very effective in eradicating the virus.
Tough kids
Kids are extremely resilient. A small trauma in a child may take one or two days to resolve vs 4-6 weeks for an adult. Not to downplay any serious childhood trauma. Obviously if there is any pain or swelling, it should be evaluated by a podiatric surgeon. But for the most part, even if they do have a fracture that is nondisplaced and not into their growth plate, they will likely be just fine.
Dr. Jared Moyles
Melbourne Podiatry Associates
Offices in Palm Bay and Melbourne
321-723-3500