Children’s Feet Shouldn’t Hurt

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Chances are you’ve heard the phrase “growing pains.” It’s that unexplained pain a child feels, maybe a throbbing somewhere in their body that wakes them up at night. You should always consult a doctor if your child is waking up at night in pain. And if your child is complaining of pains in their feet, you should never assume it’s just growing pains.

Pain in a child’s feet isn’t normal and should be checked out by our board-certified podiatrists at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center. Furthermore, since a kid may not tell you that his feet hurt, it’s important for parents to be on alert for signs of foot issues. These include:

  • a loss of interest in sports

  • a decline in general activity level

  • resistance to putting on shoes

  • frequent tripping and falling

  • physical signs of trouble, including blisters, calluses, swelling, or redness anywhere on the feet

Common childhood foot problems

Children’s feet may hurt for a number of reasons, the most common of which are:

  • flat feet - feet that fail to develop a normal arch

  • in-toeing and out-toeing - when the feet don’t point straight ahead

  • warts and other infections

  • ingrown toenails - which can develop if a child is cutting their toenails too short or on a curve

  • sprains and strains of muscles and ligaments

  • bone fractures.

Why choose a podiatrist for your child?

Your pediatrician plays a role in proper foot development. He or she should be checking your child’s feet from birth for signs of abnormality. When your child begins to walk, the pediatrician can be helpful in examining the child’s gait and stance. But if anything is amiss, you shouldn’t hesitate to bring your child to our Monmouth County podiatry office for a complete foot evaluation, just as you wouldn’t hesitate to bring your child to a heart specialist if the pediatrician were to detect a heart murmur.

Feet are our specialty. We delight in helping our youngest patients’ feet to feel good and grow properly. We invite you to bring any concerns about your child’s feet to Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, Dr. Dan Phan, and Dr. Joseph Saka in Howell or Jackson, New Jersey. Call us at (732) 905-1110 or contact us online.