Caring for Young Athletes.

When your child is playing sports, there’s plenty of running around and good healthy exercise. However, all that activity can be tough on their feet. When it comes to kids’ foot health, little ( and bigger) growing feet need plenty of care to reduce pain and prevent injuries on active feet.

The kids are almost back in school, and along with freshly sharpened pencils and homework and also in sports. Whether your child is on the football team, the middle school cheerleading squad or plays football in the driveway after school, it’s important to watch out for the health of their feet to avoid injury and discomfort. Here are five tips for keeping your teen athlete’s feet healthy.

1. Pick the Right Shoes

Shoes that don’t fit properly are the number one cause of foot problems among teen athletes. Ill-fitting shoes can increase your child’s risk of injury, and shoes that lack the proper support can cause ankle and knee damage. Avoid buying sports shoes from a discount retailer, and instead opt for a specialty shoe store that focuses on athletes or kids. Find a staff member who is trained to properly fit shoes for kids, and make sure you choose a model that offers the right amount of support. Don’t ever buy shoes that need to be broken in – if it doesn’t fit comfortably in the store, don’t buy it.

2. Don’t Ignore Growing Pains

We see a lot of young athlete’s at this time of year with Sever’s disease (heel pain), which is the inflammation of the heel’s growth plate that’s common among athletes between the ages of 8 and 15. Despite the scary name, it’s just a growing pain and won’t cause any long-term damage. It can, however, stick around for a few months and interfere with the season. If your child complains of a hurting heel, bring them in right away. We can help reduce the pain and shorten the recovery period so your child doesn’t miss a whole season.

3.Stretch Properly

Kids are often so excited to get into action that they don’t want to take time to stretch properly, which can lead to sidelining injuries like shin splints or sprained ankles Talk to your athlete about the importance of stretching before practice and games. If they are relatively new to a sport, ask their coach for tips on what stretches they should do and for how long. Or look online for professional tips. If you help them start good stretching habits at a young age, you’ll lessen the chance of injury.

4.Pay attention to pain

If your child complains of foot pain, don’t ignore it. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Have them seen by a podiatrist to determine the cause and get treatment

5.Listen to your body

Encourage your child to listen to their body and rest if they are feeling pain. Pushing through pain can lead to more serious injuries.

Conclusion:

By following these tips, you can help your child keep their feet healthy and avoid injuries. If you have any concerns about your child’s foot health, don’t hesitate to see a podiatrist.

Call to Action:

Schedule an appointment with one of our Podiatrist  to ensure your child’s feet are healthy and ready for action!