Child has a crooked foot

It's worth training to keep your little feet healthy. Plastic mats with spikes that resemble a hedgehog are commercially available; it's worth buying them for your child to stomp on. The spines irritate the foot and interfere with the formation of the arch of the foot. In summer, let your child walk barefoot on grass or sand. This allows the toes to move freely and strengthens the muscles that form the arch of the foot. You can also do playful exercises at home, but do them daily to strengthen the muscles.

One such exercise could be throwing toys with your foot. Place small toys on the floor, sit down and ask your child to use their toes Foot to pass on the item. And remember: early detection of posture errors posture are much easier to treat. It is often enough for the child to wear the recommended orthopedic shoes after a while.

Table of contents

How do you care for your child's feet?
Crooked feet in a child
The nature of the problem
If the cause is rickets.

How do you care for your child's feet?

As soon as your child has learned the first steps, usually between the ages of 13-15 months, it is worth taking him to a chiropractor therapistswho examines the heel heel bone. If you notice any worrying symptoms, such as: B. Club feet (your baby stands upright and there is a large gap between their feet), this means that the feet Club feet) or if your child is limping or if you notice that your child's feet hurt, you should always see a chiropractor. therapist.

Crooked feet in a child

Crooked feet can occur in most infants. However, if they are crooked and there is a Kneel between the knees, clubfoot is the most common diagnosis. Clubfoot often goes away on its own by the time the child is two years old. However, if the child is overweight or suffers from rickets, the defect is unlikely to go away on its own. Clubfoot becomes noticeable at birth, but only affects the child when he or she begins to learn the first steps. It makes walking impossible and the child often falls over. Orthopedic examination and exclusion of rickets or other cartilage growth diseases Bone.

Some children are diagnosed with clubfoot shortly after birth. This is a congenital defect. The bones are not well organized and feet The toes point towards each other so that only the outer edge of the sole touches the ground. The condition can affect one or both feet. The defect cannot be cured if treatment begins immediately after birth. It consists of putting a plaster cast on the affected foot, which may even have to be changed every few days depending on the progress of the treatment.

If the treatment is unsuccessful, i.e. the foot does not become straight, an operation is required. surgery. A plaster cast will be applied after the operation and the child should receive regular treatment once the cast is removed. Recovery can only be considered complete when the legs begin to grow abnormally and walking is no longer a problem for the child.

The nature of the problem

Typically, the legs twist around the shins and knee joints in the first few years of life and can be X-shaped (the knees are abnormally bent inwards) or O-shaped (also known as 'cartwheel legs'). There can be several reasons for this:

malnutrition of the mother during pregnancy,
early start to walking, especially through active encouragement and support from parents,
overweight of the child,
congenital weakness of the ligament apparatus,
Rickets, especially in winter children.

Parents tend to have two opposing views: Some want to correct even physiological, age-related leg curvatures at all costs because they fear that they will become permanent. Others believe that beauty is not the most important thing and that 'crooked legs - nothing bad', forgetting that it is not only a cosmetic problem, but also an orthopedic problem. The curvature of the legs can have a serious impact on health - the legs tire quickly, pain and heaviness occur. Children refuse to walk, limiting their own exposure. If the load distribution in the curvature of the leg is abnormal, deformation and degenerative changes occur in the knee joints, and the spine is exposed to greater stress. In this way, posture problems develop from childhood.

If the cause is rickets.

Crooked legs in a child can arise from rickets if parents do not take preventive measures and do not notice the first signs of the disease. Most often, rickets affects children who are premature, sickly, of twins, or children born in the winter. They usually have a vitamin D deficiency in their bodies, which leads to poor calcium storage in their bones. The bones become more malleable and the legs become crooked due to the pressure exerted on the lower leg by the body's weight.

Nowadays, rickets in its severe form, which leads to severe leg deformities, is rare. As pediatricians, we actively prevent it by staying in the sun and taking vitamin D prophylactically. (This is useful from October to May from the first year of life, especially if the child was not born in the summer season). After the first year of life, calcium supplements can be given prophylactically, especially if the child cannot tolerate dairy products or is allergic.

Massages are also helpful for rickets as they strengthen the muscles.

Child has a crooked foot - what to do?

How do you care for your child's feet?

Crooked feet in a child

The nature of the problem

If the cause is rickets.