Taking care of your children's feet is vital to ensure they develop normally and enjoy active lives. If you’re concerned about your child's feet, Edward Tjoe, DPM, at Tjoe Podiatry in Jersey City, New Jersey, is an expert in pediatric foot care. Whether your child has a structural abnormality like flat feet or an infection like plantar warts, Dr. Tjoe can help. Call his office today and schedule a consultation for your child or book an appointment online.
Pediatric foot care focuses on the healthy development of your children's feet. Foot problems are a common issue in children, partly because kids tend to be very active. However, it's easy for signs of underlying foot conditions to go unnoticed because children are also highly resilient.
All the bones in your child's feet have growth plates, many of which remain open to allow the foot to continue growing through the teenage years. Before the growth plate closes, which happens when the foot is fully developed, foot problems can be difficult to treat.
They require an expert approach to prevent growth plate damage and abnormal foot development. Dr. Tjoe has many years of experience treating children's feet and helping resolve any abnormalities before they cause long-term problems.
Common conditions that could require pediatric foot care include:
In addition to these structural and developmental conditions, your child might get problems like plantar warts (verrucas) or athlete's foot that also require pediatric foot care.
Treatment options in pediatric foot care vary depending on the condition affecting your child. For structural abnormalities, options include:
If conservative treatments like these don't relieve your child's symptoms or the abnormalities are too severe to improve without more invasive treatments, surgery might be necessary. Young patients typically respond well to foot and ankle surgery, often healing faster and regaining more mobility than adults.
Infections like athlete's foot are likely to require antifungal medication. Dr. Tjoe also uses Swift® Microwave Therapy to treat plantar warts safely and effectively.
Taking good care of your child's feet from birth is vital to encourage correct development as they grow. Early intervention can often address abnormalities like clubfoot and avoid the need for surgery, so look for anything that doesn't seem right and get it checked out from birth onward.
Other ways you can promote healthy feet include:
You can also teach your children how to care for their feet from an early age, so they develop good habits before entering adulthood.
If you're looking for expert pediatric foot care, call Tjoe Podiatry today or book an appointment online.
