Our podiatrists initially take a detailed history involving birth history and all milestones to ensure there are no underlying issues. Next, we perform a full assessment of your baby or child’s body, testing range-of-motion of joints, strength of muscles and assess their walking/running. Footwear is assessed to ensure they are correct fitting and the correct style for your child. 

Treatment can involve many different interventions. We do not attempt a wait-and-see approach as certain conditions (whether they are classified normal for your child’s age or not) can impact quality of life and decrease exercise/activity levels. Generally, treatment may include:

• Specific exercises to perform at home, involving play time to make it fun and engaging for your child 
• Stretches and self-mobilisation techniques to stretch affected muscles 
• Footwear modifications, and possibly orthotics should we require them 
• Bracing or certain support systems such as splints
• Exercise modifications to help strengthen your childs body (often involves swimming, cycling or walking on certain surfaces)
• Education and advice for parents to understand what the expected outcome is for your child and timeframe 
• Should it be required, referral to paediatric specialists should your podiatrist suspect any underlying conditions 

We often recommend an annual assessment for your children from 12months onwards to check and assess their biomechanics. As children grow so quickly, often muscles and joints can become over-stressed and lead to injury or pain as they get older. This again can be quite limiting and affect quality of life, so its important for us as podiatrists to provide early intervention and treatment for your child. Footwear is vital to ensure they are wearing correct fitting shoes and are wearing correct shoes for specific sports/daily activities, as the wrong shoes can place increased demand on their young bodies.