HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Children and Podiatry PODIATRISTS diagnose and treat children’s foot problems by carefully examining their feet and legs, while also considering other factors such as family history, sports, shoes and other medical conditions. It is important to remember that children can have the same foot related problems as adults, however their treatments methods may vary. Children may begin to walk any time between the ages of 8-18 months. It is therefore essential to ensure your child’s feet are developing correctly and that they are meeting their milestones when expected. Due to the nature of a child’s developing body and their active lifestyles, not all children will follow the same gait development and therefore a podiatrist must observe your child’s gait pattern and make qualitative judgements from there onwards. The following are important milestones for children: • Crawling: 6-9 months • Walking: 9-18 months • Running: 18 months • Jumping: 2-3 years • Adult walking pattern: From 5 years Most common paediatric podiatry problems 1. Intoeing: This is also known as walking with your feet turned
inwards or being “pigeon toed”. This is a very common condition in children and occurs for a variety of reasons. Things to look out for include: front portion of your child’s foot turning inwards and the outer aspect of the feet curving like a halfmoon. 2. Flat feet: Also known as pes planus, this condition is when the feet have minimal to no arch present. Flat feet are usually caused by pronation or “arch collapse” of the foot and most children grow out of this as they get older and their feet develop further. Orthotics or arch supports are usually recommended for children with flat feet. 3. Heel pain: This is also referred to as “Severs disease”. This condition is most common in the active young athlete aged 8-12 years old and most commonly occurs after vigorous activity and training. Pain is caused due to bone and muscle growth changes within the body. 4. Plantar warts: Plantar warts are caused by a virus in your body. These warts can be gently and effectively removed by many methods available in our clinic such as curettage therapy cryotherapy, offloading and treatments of salicylic acid. If a wart is diagnosed early and appropriate attention is sought, we can remove them gently and painlessly. 5. Ingrown toenails: This can be
caused by tight shoes and socks, hereditary tendency for the nail to curve inwards. The most common cause is incorrect trimming of the nail which can lead to a break in the skin causing infections in surrounding tissue. Chief podiatrist Carol A Thomson as well as podiatrists Karina Lilja and Isha Kalia at Foot Street Podiatry have over 21 years of experience between them, successfully treating patients with a wide range of complex foot, ankle and knee pathologies. The clinic offers a complete range of foot care for children and adults with treatments including nail surgery for ingrown nails, wart curettage, dry needling, prolotherapy and orthotics. We also supply and fit Dr De Carao’s little steps orthotics for our younger patients. We invite and welcome all children and parents with concerns about their child’s feet to visit our approachable and friendly staff to receive all their podiatry needs. The podiatrists at Foot Street Podiatry are committed to providing a modern, holistic approach to all foot care needs using the latest evidence based treatments. Foot Street Podiatry is at 11 Foot Street, Frankston VIC 3199 Tel: 9766 3253 Website: www.footstreetpodiatry.com.au
Podiatrist: Isha Kalia
DON’T SUFFER FROM
PAINFUL FEET!
Most foot pain can be successfully treated
FOR FOOT PAIN RELIEF CALL
FOOT STREET PODIATRY
9766 3253 FOR AN APPOINTMENT AND WALK AWAY FROM FOOT PAIN TODAY Our areas of special interest are Prolotherapy for chronic knee, foot and ankle pain management Sporting and Dance injury rehabilitation We are approved DVA and HICAPS providers
Medical grade orthotics Diabetes and general Foot Care
Enhanced Primary Care patients most welcome
Foot Street Podiatry Foot Pain Relief Clinic 9766 3253 11 Foot Street, Frankston | www.footstreetpodiatry.com.au
Frankston Times 4 July 2016
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