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Foot pain in children can be caused by a structural problem, developmental issue, or injury. If your child develops pediatric foot pain, Christos Kyrou, DPM, Kamal Farha, DPM, and their team at Kyrou Podiatry Associates offer highly skilled treatment from their offices in Wappingers Falls, Carmel, Poughkeepsie, Mahopac, and Pawling, New York. The team specializes in conditions like Sever’s disease (heel bone growth plate inflammation). Call your nearest Kyrou Podiatry Associates office or request an appointment online today for expert pediatric foot pain diagnosis and treatment.
Pediatric Foot Pain Q & A
What is pediatric foot pain?
Pediatric foot pain affects children and teenagers. Sometimes the pain comes on suddenly due to an injury, while in other cases, it develops slowly.
If your child suffers from foot or ankle pain lasting more than a few days, problems like weakness and instability, or their condition affects how they walk, visit Kyrou Podiatry Associates without delay.
What conditions might cause pediatric foot pain?
Common painful foot problems experienced by children include:
Pediatric flatfoot
Most children with flatfoot (low or flat arches) have no symptoms. However, some might have difficulty participating in sports and other physical activities or walk and run awkwardly. Some develop pain or cramping in their feet, knees, or legs. Pain or mobility problems with a child’s flat feet require expert evaluation.
Calcaneal apophysitis (Sever’s disease)
Sever’s disease is a painful inflammation in the heel bone growth plates. It usually develops in children 8-14 because the heel bone (calcaneus) doesn’t fully develop until at least 14. Until then, new bone forms at the growth plate, a weak area at the back of your heel. Too much repeated stress on the growth plate causes inflammation to develop.
Ingrown toenails
Some children inherit a tendency for toenails to curve inward, digging into the skin at the side of the nail. But tight shoes or socks and incorrect toenail trimming techniques are the leading causes of ingrown toenails in children. This problem is more common in children who wear restrictive sports footwear like soccer cleats.
Sports injuries
Sports injuries causing pediatric foot pain include high-level sprains, ankle bone bruises, sesamoid bone fractures, neuromas (damaged nerves), and heel injuries.
Other common foot problems in children, like plantar warts, don’t tend to cause pediatric foot pain. But pain can develop if the warts are on a weight-bearing part of the foot.
How is pediatric foot pain treated?
The treatment your child’s Kyrou Podiatry Associates doctor recommends will depend on your child’s condition and how bad the symptoms are.
Available treatments include:
- Rest, ice, and heat
- Change of footwear
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Night splints or bracing
- Orthotics (custom-fitted shoe inserts)
- Physical therapy
Some severe conditions might require surgery. For example, removing the ingrown portion of a toenail or repairing a damaged tendon or ligament.
Call Kyrou Podiatry Associates or request an appointment online today for a prompt appraisal of your child’s pediatric foot pain.