The A, B, C’s of Children’s Foot Care

Taking care of your body when you are young often pays off in many ways as you get older. Wearing sunscreen and limiting exposure keeps your skin youthful and lessens risks of skin cancer. Avoiding smoking keeps lungs clear and healthy and eating well maintains healthy weight and provides the necessary nutrients your body needs.

The same is true for foot health and it often starts in childhood. Since children aren’t always aware, it is important for parents to know how to keep their children’s feet healthy and help them avoid problems later in life.

Walking on toes or having feet turned in (in-toeing) are common in children but if these symptoms persist, it is important to seek treatment. Dr. Tejas Pandya, foot specialist in Troy, NY has treated many children and often something as simple as orthotics can help correct these problems. 

The growth plates in children’s bones actually don’t finish closing until between the ages of 13-17. Because of this, children’s feet are more at risk for injury if there is too much stress put on them. Dr. Pandya advises parents to closely monitor their children’s feet if they are in sports and to limit how many sports are played at one time. Children may not complain of pain if they are really competitive and others may mention the slightest of symptoms. In either case, take note of your children’s activities and seek treatment as soon as anything is noticed.

A couple other important tips are to make sure your children are clipping toenails in a way to avoid ingrown toenails and help them choose good footwear. Their feet are constantly growing so check their foot size often and provide them with supportive shoes for school and for sport.

Contact Dr. Pandya at Capital District Podiatry if your child has any foot needs. Call our podiatric office at (518) 273-0053 or visit our website at www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com to schedule an appointment.

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A Football Players Nightmare - the Terror of Turf Toe!

The school year is in full swing and it’s finally time for those boys of fall to return to the Friday night lights. Football can be a great way to stay active and build sportsmanship, but players should remember that they are always at high risk for an injury while out on the field. Football remains the number one sport for injuries, actually resulting in more injuries annually than the world’s most popular sports combined.

One of the most common injuries among football is turf toe. It is named due to its correlation with football. Turf toe is an injury referring to a sprain of the ligaments surrounding the joint of your big toe. Turf toe occurs when your big toe becomes jammed or you excessively push off from your big toe while running, jumping or participating in physical activity. The ligaments surrounding your big toe allow you to move up and down.

You are more likely to experience turf toe when playing on an artificial surface because turf is much harder than natural grass. Therefore your cleats are more likely to stick into an artificial surface, but it can occur on both surfaces. You can take a precautionary step by purchasing cleats that provide your feet with proper support. Stronger footwear, rather than flexible cleats, can prevent your feet from bending too far forward and putting greater pressure on your big toes.

Turf toe is associated with severe pain, swelling and limited mobility at the base of the joint of your big toe. If your injury is not treated properly, or turf toe becomes a repetitive injury, your condition may become serious and require surgical correction. If you have turf toe you will want to give your foot proper rest and time away from the football field. You should keep your injured foot elevated and apply ice in order to relieve pain and reduce swelling. The injury should be taped or wrapped by a medical professional in order to heal properly and add support.

If you experience turf toe this season contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya. Dr. Pandya will give you a proper examination and develop a treatment plan to get you back to your best health and out on the football field as soon as possible.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/turf-toe-symptoms-causes-and-treatments
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/footandankleinjuries/a/TurfToe.htm
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/injury-pain/turf-toe.html

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Send Kids Back to School with Healthy Footwear

You have probably started packing lunches, looking up bus schedules, and scraping out old school supplies as you send your children back to school. While some items like pencils, pens, notebooks, backpacks, and clothes that your children have yet to outgrow can be reused, there are certain school supplies that should remain on the list year after year - shoes.

It’s likely that your children have outgrown their shoes from last year or at least out worn them. Your child’s shoes can affect the health of their feet, ankles, and entire body so it’s important to find a healthy pair.

With the endless numbers of styles it can be difficult to determine the right footwear for your child. Therefore Dr. Tejas Pandya has come up with some helpful guidelines to finding the healthiest shoes.

• Measure both feet. You should have your child’s feet properly measured before every purchase. Children’s feet can grow very quickly and at different rates. This often results in their feet being two different sizes. So when you measure their feet, fit their shoes to the larger foot. Ill-fitting footwear can result in a number of different foot ailments. 

• Take a stand. You should measure your child’s feet while they are in a standing position. When your child stands his or her feet bear the weight of his or her whole body, which can make feet expand under pressure. This ensures that shoes will be comfortable during weight bearing activities like sports, exercise, or even just walking and standing.

• Find the perfect fit. Ill-fitting shoes refer to both shoes that are too small and too big, both of which can result in foot ailments. Your child should have about a thumb’s width between their big toe and the end of their shoe. The toe box should also leave enough room so that they can comfortably wiggle those toes. Shoes should also fit tight enough that the heel does not slip out the back.

• Take a little walk. Shoes need to fit comfortably while sitting, standing and walking. Your child should try on both shoes and walk around the store to examine their comfort in motion. You also want to bring their own socks along to try on with the shoes. You should then question your child about any irritations or uncomfortable pressure from the footwear. 

• Examine the shoes. Children’s shoes should not collapse under pressure. Look for shoes with heels that are made from a durable material to hold in a fixed position. Shoes should also have a proper layer of cushioning on the insole and sufficient arch support. Shoes should bend at the ball of your child’s foot, but they should not in the middle nor should they be able to fold completely in half.

Proper foot care should start at an early age in order to prevent future foot problems. The right shoes can help prevent injuries on the playground, in athletics, and all other aspects of your child’s life. If you require additional assistance in finding the right shoes for your child, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

References:

http://www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com/library/1783/Children%27sShoes.html
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00143

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8 Easy Steps to Preventing Overuse Injuries

Staying active is important in maintaining a healthy weight, building strong bones, muscles, and joints, and keeping your ligaments limber. Too much of a good thing can be bad - even when it comes to exercise. There are more than five-million sports related injuries happening every year. With that, almost half of all sports injuries are because of overuse.

In order to prevent overuse injuries, please follow our helpful tips:

• Create warm-up and cool-down routines. Stretching out your muscles and tendons keeps them strong and prevents stiffening, which can easily result in an injury. Create a 10-15 minute warm up routine and with the same routine to cool you down and relax your body.

• Know the correct techniques. Every sport and exercise comes with its own physical demands, but knowing the right techniques can protect your body from injuries. If you are unaware of the proper techniques, ask a coach or trainer for a proper evaluation and lesson.

• Do not over train. Of course, practice makes perfect, but too much training can take you out of the game. It’s important to train for all aspects of the game, so don’t focus on one specific area. Remember to give yourself a break and of course have days to rest.

• Get a physical. Before sports season begins, you should receive a proper physical. It’s important to determine that you are in good health before you begin extensive training. Contact our office to schedule a foot and ankle examination before you begin your training routine.

• Increase your workout routine gradually. When you sign up for a sport it’s typical to jump right into intense practices every day, but this can be dangerous. Ease into physical activity and increase your time on a weekly basis.

• Vary your sports. Sticking to one sport can easily lead to overuse injuries. If you vary your sporting activity, it provides different motions so your feet and ankles are not forced into the same positions year round.

• Give it a rest. Staying physical is important to your overall health, but so is allowing your body time to rest. If you are active in sports, you should give yourself time to rest after every season. Playing year round is an easy way to gain an overuse injury.

• Treat your injuries. If you do experience an injury, don’t think that playing through the pain makes you a better and more dedicated player. Playing through an injury is dangerous to your health, and the health of your body should always come before the game.

You can reduce your risk for an overuse injury by following our helpful tips. Overuse injuries, like all injuries, should be taken seriously and treated immediately. If you don’t treat overuse injuries in a timely matter, they can result in permanent damage. If you develop an overuse injury, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

References:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120421-OPINION-204210304

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Bunion Prevention: Keep Track of Your Child’s Feet & Yours!

Taking proper care of your feet is important at all ages and children’s feet are especially important to take care of.  You want to make sure to keep up with the health of your kids’ feet to help prevent future painful foot ailments such as bunions.

A bunion is a growth of the bone, or tissue, that surrounds the joints based at your big toes. Bunions tend to develop slowly, so prevention techniques should be taken even during childhood.
Have your children follow these healthful tips to prevent bunions:

    •    Exercise your feet and toes. Include your children in your daily exercise routine and work out your feet and toes. Rotate your feet and try to move each toe individually. Point your toes up and down and practice picking up small objects using your toes.

    •    Wear correct shoe and sock sizes. Shoes that scrunch your toes can lead to bunions or causes them to spread. Children’s feet can grow at extremely fast rates so check your child’s shoes regularly.  You can do this by feeling the front of their shoes and see where the big toe lands. Footwear should allow the toes enough room to move. Your toes should not touch the end of your shoes and should be wide enough that toes will not be pushed together.

    •    Avoid excessive pronation. If your child’s feet roll inward too much during walking, running, or any form of physical activity, it can result in bunions. Supportive shoes, or arch support shoe inserts, can prevent this problem. You can also look into purchasing custom made orthotics, which can be used to prevent many different foot ailments and give your child’s feet the best functionality.

Keeping your feet healthy from an early age can help to keep you active for longer. If your child develops a bunion, or any other sort of foot ailment, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.  He can help your child get back to his or her best foot health.

Resources:

http://www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com/library/1773/BunionPrevention.html
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bunions-prevention

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