How do I Know if My Child Needs Custom Orthotics?

Foot problems affect children and adults, and orthotics are a simple solution to preventing many of those problems from worsening. Find out how you can tell your child needs orthotics to protect their feet.

Exercise is a great way to keep kids healthy, and getting them out to play is one of the easiest ways to accomplish that. However, foot health issues can make doing something as simple as running around the yard more difficult, as many common foot conditions in children hinder lower body movement.

When your child has foot problems, you need to get them help as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are many solutions to help feet and get them back outside with their friends. Orthotics provide an effective solution for many foot issues in kids, so let’s find out what signs to look for that indicate your child’s foot conditions need orthotics to manage them.

Parents of children with foot health issues living in Fort Worth and Weatherford, Texas, can get comprehensive help from Drs. Glen Beede, Gregory Jaryga, and the experienced staff at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists.

Common foot problems in children

Maintaining proper foot health is crucial during a child’s development, and these are some of the issues they are often struggling with:

Flat feet

Toddlers often lack arches on the bottom of their feet to help them walk properly, but they develop over time. The problem can persist later in childhood, and for some, even as adults.

Ingrown toenails

The big toenail growing into the skin happens in children and adults; if your child shows signs of it, they need medical attention.

Sever’s disease

Inflammation in your child’s growth plate that causes heel pain can resolve as they grow, but they still need pain management along the way.

In toeing or out toeing

When walking or standing, your child's feet turn either inward or outward instead of pointing ahead. This causes balance issues, but it can be resolved over time.

Plantar warts

When the soles of kids' feet develop viral growths, standing, walking, and running become uncomfortable, and they need help if they don’t go away or spread.

How to spot them

With so many things that can affect your growing child’s feet, knowing what to look for is essential to their health. Common symptoms of these conditions include pain, redness, swelling, developing calluses, differences in how they walk (gait), weak ankles, thigh or shinbones that turn inward, or signs of infection on the feet or toes. If they have flat feet, the lack of arches on the bottom of their feet will be visible, so look out for that.

How orthotics help

Orthotics are shoe inserts that help correct many foot problems. They can be bought over the counter, online, or custom-made by us. We do X-rays and use a 3D scanner to get a proper picture of your child’s foot to determine what type of orthotic you need, then have them fabricated to get the perfect fit to protect the feet.

Placing the right insert under your foot when walking can manage several foot problems by correcting abnormal walking patterns (helping to fix gait), relieving pain and discomfort, supporting feet when walking or running, and keeping foot deformities from worsening. They also help correct foot alignment, reduce pressure on feet, and improve overall posture and walking mechanics.

Preserving foot health in children is essential to their growth. If you see problems with your child's walking or running, make an appointment with Drs. Beede, Jaryga, and the team at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists today to get orthotics or other treatments that can help.