As a parent, knowing what health problems your child may deal with now or in the future is important. This is because you will want to know what you can do to take care of the problems should they happen. Foot problems are definitely something that can happen as your child is growing, and especially since they are more likely to run around barefoot and potentially become hurt. Here are the four common foot problems found in children you want to be aware of:
- Ingrown Toenail: An ingrown toenail can occur at any age, but is more commonly seen in children. This could be because children are more susceptible to dealing with tight fitting shoes due to growth spurts. An ingrown toenail is when the nail grows through the skin. This causes discomfort and can even become infected, which is why it needs to be treated right away. Too often, podiatrists find that they have to treat an infection in children because of an ingrown toenail rather than just taking care of the problem before it becomes infected.
- Warts: Warts typically occur on the sole of the foot because this area is more susceptible to them. This is because the bottom of the foot can easily become cut when walking barefoot, allowing the wart virus to easily seep in. A wart on the sole of the foot can cause discomfort when pressure is placed on it, and they need to be treated right away before they spread. This virus easily spreads, and it won't just stay in that one area. The virus can easily spread to any other area of the body.
- Flat Feet: A common problem that many parents are concerned about is flat feet. Children are susceptible to developing flat feet because of developmental changes. However, most of the time, children grow out of this. The only time that you should be concerned about this in the case that your children experiences pain because of the flat feet, or difficultly walking. In this case, the common treatment is the use of arch supports, which prevent the tendency of the arch to collapse.
- Heel Pain: Heel pain can be felt for a number of reasons, but usually it is because of the inflammation of the heel bone. This is common in children because it usually happens due to growth. During growth spurts, the calf and the achilles tendon become tight and puts stress on the heel bone.
By knowing some of these common foot problems in children, you can be sure that you will know what to do and what signs to look for to determine whether or not treatment is needed by your child's podiatrist. For more information, contact a local foot clinic, like Foot & Ankle Care Center PA.
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