What is pediatric podiatry?
Pediatric Podiatry treats alterations or defects in children’s feet. Being in a time of growth, it is important to check and correct the feet in time to avoid future health problems.
What diseases does pediatric podiatry treat?
Foot deformities
- Flatfoot: This pathology describes a foot with a total or partial absence of the curvature of the longitudinal plantar arch. It causes that all the weight is supported on the curvature and the heel deviates backwards.
- Pes cavus: It presents a more arched or exaggerated arch than a normal foot, which causes a lack of flexibility and increases the distribution of weight towards the forefoot area. It causes pain and overloads the calf.
- Valgus foot: Foot with outward deviation of the heel, causing instability when walking.
- Varus foot: Foot that turns inward. When walking, the outside of the foot is supported by the ring and little toes.
- Clubfoot: Foot in permanent flexion. The cause is contracture of the triceps muscle, which causes swelling in the feet and walking on tiptoe.
- Talalgia and Sever’s disease: Affects the heel and is caused by inflammation of the Achilles tendon.
Bad position of the toes
- Claw toes: Deformity of the toes due to excessive bending of the joints.
- Hammertoes: Shape that the toes acquire in a flexed position similar to a hammer. The joints of the second, third and fourth toes are usually affected.
Plantar warts
- Lesions that spread over time. Rough and dark-spotted in appearance. Salicylic acid ointments, cryotherapy, acid burns or surgery are usually used to treat them.
When to go to a pediatric podiatrist?
Children should be taken around the age of 5 or when they start walking in order to be able to detect alterations in the locomotor apparatus in time. But also at 10 years of age, which is when important bone changes begin to take place.