Why should your child see a Podiatrist?

Why should your child see a podiatrist? Well, for the same reason you would take your child to see a Dentist, Optometrist and Doctor, to prevent long-term avoidable health problems. 

Most parents are unaware that many adult foot and lower limb problems manifest in early childhood and can be prevented and managed if treated early.  An experienced podiatrist will be able to identify these problems by performing a very simple foot and lower limb evaluation.

The earlier the child is seen by a podiatrist the better, as it gives the podiatrist a good baseline that can be reviewed in later years.

At Heal Focus Podiatry, we’ve found doing a child’s first foot assessment around three years of age is great timing because the young patient can follow simple instructions and undertake simple tasks.

Stretching, strengthening and balancing exercise may be the only form of treatment initially, aided by the parents of course, however your Podiatrist will also give footwear advice, which is of the utmost importance.

Poor fitting footwear can have long-term damaging affects on the developing foot, which is why it is very important to have children’s footwear fitted correctly by people who are trained in children’s fittings.

Selecting the wrong type of shoe can also be a concern and your podiatrist can easily steer you in the right direction based on the child’s age and activities.

If required, your podiatrist will normally schedule a yearly review visit after the first consultation so that the child’s progress and development can be monitored on a regular basis.

At Heal Focus Podiatry, we always digitally record your child’s walking pattern, as it can be very useful at future visits to see if their walking pattern has improved with or without treatment.

A child seen at three years of age, then again at four, five and six will give your podiatrist a lot of developmental information and will result in far better long-term prevention.

At Heal Focus Podiatry we are very committed in helping children overcome adult foot-problems. For more information please telephone the clinic on 0401 828 001.