Does My Child Have Growing Pains or Merely Flatfeet? Parents Be Pro Active!
John D. Goodner D.P.M. is a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon. He specializes in treating foot, ankle, and leg injuries in children, teenagers, and adults. He is trained to perform the latest minimally invasive and arthroscopic surgical techniques. Growing up locally in Broward County, he was a two-sport varsity letterman... more
Foot, ankle and leg problems in the growing child are often considered to be “Growing Pains” in the bone and muscles of the lower extremity. While in a small number of cases this might be true, in a majority of the cases the pains that plague these children and teenagers may be caused by lower extremity malalignment problems.
CAUSES:
• Excessively flat feet or feet that point to the outside during walking or running.
- Children that are knock-kneed.
- Tight muscles, especially the calf, hamstrings and hip.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:
- Leg pain, especially at night.
- Pain with activities, especially along the inside of the knee, shinbone, ankle and foot area including the arch.
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TREATMENT:
Avoid going barefoot. Changing of shoe gear to add more, support to the foot and ankle region. Physical therapy to decrease overall muscle tightness and to improve muscle strength, coordination and reaction time.
- Custom molded orthotic (shoe inserts) to help to realign the foot and the entire lower extremity, which in most cases will eliminate the pain overnight.
- If associated with flat feet and tight calf muscles, stretching of the calf muscles in a walking cast for 2-6 weeks will almost overnight eliminate the pain that these children are experiencing in their legs.
