Pediatric Foot Care

If you're the parent of a young child, it's important to know about pediatric foot care. You’ll want to ensure the doctor you see is able to provide the medical and surgical foot treatments your child may need. When it comes to your child's health, you can never be too careful.

Pediatric foot care is a specialized field, so there are a limited number of doctors trained and experienced in this area. However, the board-certified surgeons at the Foot & Ankle Institute of New England are here to deliver the best foot care to your children. When you bring your child in to meet with one of our pediatric foot care experts, you’re taking the first step toward ensuring your child gets the best possible foot care.

Pediatric Conditions We Treat

We treat children and adolescents of all ages for a wide variety of medical conditions that affect the feet, ankles, toes, and legs. These conditions include:

Ankle sprains
Athlete’s foot
Bunions
Crossover toes
Diabetic foot
Flatfoot
Foot pain or swelling
Fractures
Gait abnormalities and complications
Growth plate injuries
Heel pain

Infection
In-toeing (pigeon toes)
Out-toeing (duck foot)
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar warts
Shin splints
Tendon injuries
Toe-walking
Toenail disorders (ingrown toenails, fungal infections, etc.)
Wounds

How to Know If Your Child Needs to See a Foot and Ankle Doctor

Signs and symptoms of a foot or ankle problem may show up differently in children than in adults. Parents should be on the lookout for the following, which may indicate the need to see a foot and ankle doctor:

Difficulty with balance; increased falls
Limping
Embarrassment about showing their feet
Suddenly refraining from formerly enjoyable activities
Foot appearance is abnormal (swollen, discolored) or doesn’t match the other foot

Medical & Surgical Foot Care for Children & Teens

The pediatric foot care we offer at the Foot & Ankle Institute of New England includes both medical and surgical treatment options. The exact course of treatment will depend on the specific condition being treated.

In some cases, nonsurgical options such as orthotics, medications, and physical therapy may be recommended. Customized orthotics are especially valuable when treating children because orthotics can help stabilize and better align their feet, posture, and gait – while they are still developing. This can help prevent future problems and may prevent or delay the need for surgery.

In other cases, surgery may be necessary to correct a problem. When surgery is required, having the expertise of pediatric foot care specialists will ensure the delicacy required when treating children’s feet. For example, children’s feet are still developing and often feature underdeveloped bones, muscles, and ligaments. Our pediatric orthopedic surgeons at the Foot & Ankle Institute of New England will consider all these factors and develop the right treatment plan for you.