Children's Foot Care

Often, people think of a podiatrist as only needing to provide care for mature, well-used feet. While it’s indeed true that we maintain feet and ankles that have seen many miles, the “newer models” belonging to infants, children, and teens can require attention, too. Pediatric foot care is an important service we provide at Family Foot & Ankle Care of Jasper, comforting children and providing peace of mind to their parents and guardians.

Monitoring Feet Out of the Gait

A child’s feet grow very quickly from birth onward, making it a very important time to maintain foot health—if not the most important for the development of healthy feet into adulthood. Anything that looks abnormal during this time should be brought up with a professional. Is it always going to be serious? No, but it’s well worth checking out.

Once baby begins to walk, you might notice some concerning patterns in gait, or the way he or she walks. Common abnormalities found include flat feet or walking on the toes. These often resolve themselves as the child matures, but should be consistently monitored in case they show signs of becoming rigid, or lasting into adulthood. Other conditions that need examination are walking with feet turned inward or outward or the instep being curved inward in a “C” shape. It should never be assumed that a child will just “grow out” of any of these conditions.

Growing Pains

Painting from a Young Patient

Wonderful Painting from One of Our Young Patients!

As children reach adolescence, pediatric concerns can still be present. Sports are likely to enter the picture for many kids, making it important to have the right equipment and techniques to prevent overuse injuries such as stress fractures and Achilles tendinitis. Many children between the ages of 8-14, especially active ones, might also begin to experience heel pain. This is usually due to Sever’s disease, a condition in which too much stress has been placed on the rapidly growing heel bone. Rest is often recommended for these conditions, but treatments such as custom orthotics and medications can also help.

All-age Foot Problems

Children’s feet are also naturally prone to many of the same everyday maladies of adults. Foot odor can be quite common, especially as adolescent feet are likely to sweat more at their age than others. Kids can also be susceptible to infections such as athlete’s foot and warts, as well as painful problems such as ingrown toenails. Although rarer, some children can even be genetically likely to develop bunions.

We offer a wide range of pediatric treatments to help kids feet grow and develop properly. We employ conservative methods whenever possible, and a great number of problems can be resolved through medications, rest, and/or the use of orthotics. If surgery is needed, however, we can perform many procedures in-office with the utmost care and consideration for our littlest patients.

Pediatric Foot Care in Dubois County

From infancy to adulthood, Dr. Timothy Barry and the staff of Family Foot & Ankle Care of Jasper have the experience and friendly consideration to get young feet feeling better. Call us at (812) 481-7200 to schedule an appointment today.

Address 695 W. 2nd Street, Suite CJasper, Indiana 47546
Phone 812-481-7200
Hours Mon, Tue, Thu: 9am - 5pm; Wed, Fri: 8am-noon 

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