Witnessing your child walk for the first time can be extremely delightful, a site to watch, however, you need to take note of the way your child walks. This is because a varied foot deformity can occur among children due to improper walking patterns, especially during early childhood

Children tend to develop several faulty conditions while they learn to walk. The conditions, if not corrected, might lead to causing several foot problems later in life.

What is orthotics?

Orthotics are specialized shoe inserts that take the place of the normal insoles and largely treat, prevent, and manage varied foot problems. This can be created from a large variety of materials and in abundant styles, with an aim to offer the feet with what is required for the right functioning.

Custom orthotics are usually prescribed by a podiatrist while being crafted to fit the foot shape ideally. Unlike the cushioned insoles, these are prescribed and hence are highly benefitting.

Why does a child need orthotics?

There are a number of reasons why a child might benefit from orthotic intervention. Its use tends to vary from one child to the other; however, the primary goal lies in offering stability and promotion of functional ability.

Orthotics is largely useful for assisting children with toe walking, flat feet, frequent tripping, poor balance, leg length discrepancies, and more. Aimed at improving the walking pattern of a child, orthotics are made to improve the walking pattern of a child and facilitate age-appropriate child development.

When should children reach out to seeking orthotics?

Orthotics has been recognized as one of the most benefitting solutions towards helping children facing foot conditions. Here are a few conditions that orthotics can treat and benefit children:

In-toeing:

In-toeing, also known as pigeon-toed refers to a common problem in children. This is when the child walks with the toe facing inwards. This is quite a common concern that leads to the development of acute pain in the foot, and an orthotic can help overcome the problem.

Out-toeing:

This is another foot condition, reverse to the former condition, where the child walks with the toe been faced outwards, instead of the toe pointing straight. This is a clumsy walking pattern and can be corrected in early childhood; otherwise, it might lead to a flat foot. If at all you observe your child walking with the toe outwards, it is largely recommended to try out orthotics.

Flat feet:

A few children tend to develop flat feet, a condition where the metatarsal arch gets damaged and collapsed. This condition is largely painful for the child, who also might lead to developing hammertoes and bunions.

Flat feet might also cause pain in the lower hip, lower back, and knee, which is also why it can be an alarming condition to treat. Custom made orthotics is one of the most beneficial treatments for a flat foot.

Bunions:

This is one of the most common conditions for a child involved activity in sports. It can further cause redness and swelling. Children often tend to complain of encountering an acute pain after getting rid of the shoe.

As a result, it stresses the bone out, and hence an orthotics can largely be beneficial to offering support to the foot. This can help you solve bunion condition and help a child feel at ease.

How can orthotics benefit children?

It is important to know that it is crucial to intercept the foot problems which tend to develop during early childhood. Although parents might intend to set the kids off on a healthy trajectory, however, the foot conditions often go unaddressed early in life, which can further lead to incurring chronic pain and mobility issues.

This is largely crucial to prevent specific diagnoses and correct the formation of an improper habit. A child facing a painful foot is going to develop multiple problems and live an unusual life, distinct from the rest.

You might even witness them, showing a stark decrease in playing sports and other physical activities, instead of being more likely to sit inside watching TV and resting. This might be a result of their disinterest in being active and enjoying the activity as the condition might be posing discomfort, leading to pain.

Hence, this can pave towards establishing an unhealthy pattern of behavior and habits which persist well in adulthood, even once the diagnosis has been fixed. As orthotics is a conservative treatment option, hence it can be largely valuable for treating children.

While an adult might need to consider getting surgery done, however, kids can easily recover from the treatment and avoid unnecessary surgeries. One of the major conditions that orthotics can treat is a flat foot.

While most children do not develop arches until reaching age 5, hence others never develop an arch for a reason or another. Occasionally, it can also lead to a number of problems, which also includes arch pain, misalignment, heel pain, and more.

As a result, children might develop a poor walking style; however, thanks to orthotics, they can now attain extra support for the arch and can also realign entire biomechanics of ankles, foot, and legs. This leads to reduced stress experienced on joints and muscles.

Hence, orthotics can benefit children in varied ways and helps in the efficient address of a varied foot problem. It is mandatory for parents to recognize the condition and reach out to a professional and acquire the right treatment.

Conclusion:

It is hence wise to get your child diagnosed and checked by a foot specialist any time he/she experiences discomfort or abnormality in the ankle or foot. This is when orthotics might be suggested and prescribed for a healthy living. Today there are multiple platforms that are leaders in podiatric care and offer a wide range of services focused on diagnosing and treating conditions associated with foot deformities. The treatment helps children to experience a healthy living when the condition is addressed at the right age. Hence, the sooner, the better!