Pediatric Foot & Ankle Conditions

PEDIATRIC FOOT & ANKLE CONDITIONS

Foot and Ankle Specialist in Midtown Manhattan, New York, NY

Pediatric Foot & Ankle Conditions

Children love to run, jump, and play. However, it can be difficult for kids to stay active when they suffer from uncomfortable foot conditions. At Flex Foot and Ankle in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York City, dual board-certified podiatrist E. Giannin Perez, DPM, FACFAS, understands the pain of dealing with foot conditions in childhood as well as adulthood. From conservative options to surgical intervention, she can help your child age three or older find the relief they need. If your child is struggling with a pediatric foot condition, call the office or book an appointment online today.

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Pediatric Foot & Ankle Conditions Q&A

Because of children’s developing bodies and active lifestyles, they can experience many of the same foot conditions as adults. Pediatric foot conditions may involve deformities that affect the bones, tendons, and muscles in their feet, or problems involving infection and viruses.

Common foot and ankle conditions that affect children include:

Ingrown toenails – An ingrown toenail occurs when the edge of the nail grows into the soft flesh beside it, creating pain, tenderness, and redness.

Flat feet – Flat feet occur when the foot has little to no arch, leading to foot or leg pain.

Toe walking – A child that walks on their toes without the other parts of their feet touching the floor.

Plantar warts – warts are small growths on the sole of the foot caused by a virus that children often receive by not wearing shoes outside and receiving small cuts that allow infection to enter.

Other pediatric foot conditions include:

Foot and ankle pain
Fractures and sprains
Feet turning inward turning outward
Foreign body (stepping on a nail / needle, etc)
Heel pain (back of the heel / Sever’s disease)
Repeated tripping and falling
Sports injuries

Dr. Perez completes a thorough evaluation of your child’s feet and ankles to help determine what might be causing the problem.

Depending on the type of condition your child has, the cause most often is attributable to their active lifestyle or the shoes they wear. Issues also can develop over time or present themselves at birth.

Foot conditions such as flat feet and cavus (very high arch) feet may affect your child most of their childhood, caused by orthopedic developmental changes or possibly by issues affecting the spine. Problems such as ingrown toenails and plantar warts may come and go due to your child wearing shoes that fit them too tightly or exposing their bare feet to viruses.

At first, Dr. Perez takes a conservative approach to improve your child’s foot condition, mindful of their natural growth and development. She discusses options with you, such as creating custom orthotics to support your child’s high arch, low arch, or bunions.

If necessary, Dr. Perez discusses surgical intervention to correct foot deformities that may cause serious harm in the future.

Whether she plans to remove your child’s ingrown toenail, preventing further infection and discomfort, or perform a more invasive surgery to realign the bones in your child’s foot, she educates you on your options, ensuring you’re comfortable with your child’s treatment plan.

Call Flex Foot and Ankle in Midtown Manhattan to learn more about treatment options for your child, or schedule an appointment online today.