Parents Guide to Children’s Foot Pain & Knee Pain

Common Children’s Foot Pain & Knee Pain:

It’s not all roses and lullabies – sometimes children get injured. They start to complain of pain in their legs or simply start to walk funny. At these times it’s important to consult your Perth Podiatrist to identify if your children’s foot pain or problem is serious and worth addressing or simply to give you peace of mind that your child’s feet, knees, and entire lower limb are developing normally. I love seeing kids and endeavour to make their Podiatry experience the best possible, so let’s dive in and discuss the common conditions that children encounter seen in our Perth Podiatry clinics:

Before we dive into the 10 children’s foot pain problems commonly seen by our Perth Podiatrist. I want you to take a breath because childhood foot conditions and their associated pains can be quickly and effectively treated by our Perth Podiatrist at Foot & Leg Podiatry, with three clinics across Perth that are easier than ever to find. If your child is walking ‘funny’ or limping and in pain, then isolating the presence of a childhood foot condition and beginning targeted treatment is paramount. Professional advice should be sought and our Perth Podiatrist regularly treats patients concerned about their kid’s feet and knee pains so you can rest easy knowing their knees and feet are in safe hands. An appointment at our podiatry clinics is only a phone call or web enquiry away and no referral is required, making it easier than ever to find a solution to your child’s developmental gait problems Perth wide.

Disclaimer: This is simply a general discussion regarding common children’s foot pain and leg conditions that often require treatment by our Perth podiatrist. Any advice & information is general in nature and not to be taken over the advice of a qualified medical professional or orthopaedic surgeon who is aware of your specific injury details. I hope this blog inflames your interest in the topic, so without further delay let’s find out about the top 10 Chidden Foot Problems:

1. Ingrowing Toenails

Children are notorious for having ingrowing toenails, in particular 9 – 13-year-olds. Whether it be wearing shoes that are too tight, poor toenail picking habits or simply winning the genetic toenail lottery in a bad way. Ingrowing toenail removal is a simple procedure for an ingrowing toenail problem that our Perth Podiatrist successfully cures every day. Treatment options can vary and you can read further about ingrowing toenail removal Perth-wide at our Ingrown Toenail Service Page.

2. Osgood Schlatter Syndrome (Children’s Knee Pain) & 3. Severs disease (Children’s Achilles or Heel Pain).

I discuss Osgood Schlatter and Severs together because I deem them to be rapid-growth issues experienced by kids whose bones grow faster than their muscles, tendons or ligaments do. If you have kids that are very active and are going through their ‘growth spurt’ experiencing these types of joint aches and pains in the feet, knees or even hips then a trip to your Perth Podiatrist will lead to a speedy recovery. Typically something as simple as a tailored stretching regime is enough to successfully treat these childhood conditions. As always a thorough examination is essential to identify problem areas requiring attention in order to treat your child’s feet and leg pain effectively.

4. Flat Feet (Children’s Foot Pain, Arch Pains, Forefoot Pains)

Flat feet are a common problem that children experience, and for many children, it’s a normal part of their lower limb development. However when pain arises in the lower limb, or an uncomfortable running or movement pattern arises as a consequence of foot posture it’s best to have their feet and legs expertly assessed by a Perth Podiatrist. The reason flat feet are often a problem for children, is because it makes the muscles in the arch and calf responsible for slowing foot arch collapse work harder. When these muscles can cope, there’s no problem. But when they can’t, pain arises and it doesn’t have to be in the feet, often knee, hip or even lower back pain are the first sign that children’s feet are collapsing or pronating excessively. I strongly believe the earlier treatment for arch collapse or excessive pronation can be implemented the better off the child or teenager will be long term.

5. Shin Splints (Calf Pains)

In a similar vein to flat feet, shin splints are often a problem of excessive pronation or arch collapse. 9 of your 11 calf muscles slow your arches to collapse directly and indirectly with each step. Many people don’t know this, but the majority of your calf muscles insert into your feet to prevent your arch from collapsing. Because of this excessive arch collapse can lead directly to ’shin splints’ and significant calf pain arising. Identifying the overloaded calf muscle(s) and beginning targeted treatment with your Perth Podiatrist is paramount to a quick and successful rehabilitation.

6. Scoliosis (Back Pains, Hip Pains)

Flat feet, shin splints and scoliosis are symptoms that often result from poor biomechanics that I see children present within our Perth podiatry clinics every day. However, scoliosis stemming from limb length discrepancy (that is having one leg longer than the other) holds a special place in my mind because its treatment has a profound impact when done right. Identifying the presence of a limb length discrepancy accurately is key to the correct treatment being implemented and as a Perth Podiatrist, I think it’s critical that this is measured as part of a comprehensive lower limb assessment and gait analysis for your child.

7. Ankle Sprains (Sporting Injuries)

Ankle Sprains are annoying when they happen, and without the proper rehabilitation program can lead to long-term disability. Often when your child sprains their ankle bad enough to tear a ligament the nerve inside that ligament is also damaged. This nerve is critical to protecting the ankle in the future by telling the lateral calf muscles to tense when it experiences stretch stimuli. Assessing the integrity of your child’s ankle ligaments, muscle and tendon attachments as well as bones for potential fracture sites and imaging as appropriate is routinely carried out by our Perth Podiatrist so you can be comfortable that the appropriate rehabilitation is being completed for their sprained ankles.

8. Brocken Bones & 9. Post-Op Rehabilitation

Unfortunately, children can often push their bodies to breaking point, when this happens immediately starting rehab for their bones or as part of their post-op recovery is important to ensure the return of full function after injury. Treatment implemented will depend on the area of injury and the degree of damage or surgical intervention completed so book in to consult our Perth Podiatrist if you’re concerned about the speed of your child’s recovery after a surgical procedure or suspected broken bone. We can access any imaging completed and ascertain the best rehabilitation pathway for your child and explain the steps to take to minimise future injuries from arising to put you at ease during this tough time.

10. In-Toeing, Out-Toeing and Hip or Lower Back Pain

Children aren’t ducks so they shouldn’t waddle about with their toes pointed in, or turned out excessively. But how much is too much? Well like many developmental problems there is a normal range and an upper limit which is best assessed by your Perth Podiatrist. Foot abduction and adduction is actually largely a hip issue as the muscles that internally rotate and externally rotate the leg is located here predominately. The majority of hip issues (read hip dysplasia or club foot) are adequately diagnosed and treated at birth by an orthopaedic surgeon, however, some parents can still – rightly so, be concerned if they notice their children walking differently from other children their age. In general younger children can point their toes out a lot until 12-18months then as they start to walk the opposite can be true until their hip muscles get stronger and more balanced to normalise their foot abduction/adduction (in-toeing and out-toeing respectively). 

What Should I Do If I Am Concerned About My Children’s Foot Pain, Knee, Hip or Back Pain?

If your child does have a painful foot, knee, hip or even a back problem and are concerned that arch collapse or excessive pronation and limb length could be the culprit then consulting a Perth Podiatrist who can expertly evaluate, examine and if the necessary image and treat your foot, knee, hip or back pain quickly and effectively will lead to your best outcome. An appointment at our Perth podiatry clinics is only a phone call or web enquiry away and no referral is required, making it easier than ever to find a solution to your child’s pain  – Today.

Book an appointment today with one of our trained Podiatrists by clicking HERE