At Cornerstone Foot and Ankle we have been treating many pediatric patients and we have found that children foot problems tend to be very different from adult foot problems. It can be very difficult for children to communicate at times about their foot pain and what is causing the pain. Today we are going to discuss the most common problems we encounter in our pediatric population at Cornerstone Foot and Ankle.
The five most common problems in pediatric patients that cause foot pain: flatfeet, heel pain, gait problems, ingrown nails and plantar warts.
Let’s look at these problems in more details for parents to better understand what to look for and when to bring your child to the office for further evaluation and treatment.
Flatfeet/Gait Problems
We see children ranging from toddler to teenage years who are suffering from flatfeet and gait problems. Most of the time the parent is concerned about their child walking differently. Most common things to look out for are inward turning of feet, walking on their toes, flat arches and their knees turning in and facing each other. Many children with flatfeet are wearing out their shoes on the outside way too quickly and tend to avoid activities such as walking, running or sports as they start to experience pain in their feet and/or legs from excessive and abnormal forces of flatfeet. At Cornerstone Foot and ankle, we provide many options to help your child at any age to support their flatfeet to keep them active and pain-free.
Heel Pain
At Cornerstone Foot and Ankle we have seen many children with heel pain and most of them are in the 9-15 age range. The two most common problems that cause heel pain in pediatric patients are stress fracture or calcaneal apophysitis (pain at the growth plate of the heel bone).
Both of these problems arise from over activity. Many children are involved in playing different sports and increase in activity is the biggest reason why they are experiencing pain. The treatment can vary from icing, stretching, immobilization and in some serious cases, a below knee cast. Please contact our Cornerstone Foot and Ankle team immediately if your child is experiencing heel pain, as this may be a serious condition that requires treatment.
Ingrown Nails
An ingrown toenail is a toenail that has slightly curved corner of the nail causing the break into skin which allows bacteria to enter and cause skin infection. Most of the children have had some type of treatment done prior to coming to one of our offices such as oral or topical antibiotics and visit to either their pediatrician or an urgent care. Infected, ingrown toenails are one of the most common problems we treat in pediatric patients and with a small procedure done in the office, children can be back on their feet very quickly. The small procedure is required to remove the offending corner of the nail and to get rid of the infection. This is a very effective treatment and it helps the infection to clear and your child pain-free in a short time.
Plantar Warts
Plantar warts are stubborn and challenging to get rid of in all patients but our pediatric population tend to get them more than adults since they are involved in activities that are on common surfaces with their barefoot more than adults. The most common place to get the manifestation of the wart virus is on wet or damp surfaces. At Cornerstone Foot and Ankle, we have many treatment options that are geared to treat and eliminate them to get our children back on their feet. The treatments can vary from topical plantar wart removals and laser treatments which can be used to treat or remove the plantar warts.
If you child is experiencing any of the issues described. Call one of our offices at 856-582-6082 or request an appointment online.
Cornerstone Foot & Ankle is a full service foot and ankle specialty office with locations in Sewell, Cherry Hill, Marlton, Mt. Holly, and Glassboro; serving the South Jersey region. We offer a full suite of services including surgery, fracture care, fungal nail care, diabetic foot care, pediatric podiatry, custom braces and orthotics, wound care, limb salvage, and treatments for arch pain, heel pain, and sports injuries; just to name a few. If it hurts below your knee, we can help you! CALL NOW or request your appointment online TODAY!