Doctors are seeing more and more foot injuries in kids due to overuse. Overuse injuries are more gradual and are caused from a repetitive activity that does not allow the body enough time to heal between playing. In general, these types of injuries are more common because children today are frequently able to do their sport year around, where as decades ago, children usually played multiple sports that followed the seasons and weather.
Common injures in the foot and ankle:
- Pediatric heel pain (juvenile calcaneal apophysitis or “Sever’s disease) – the growth plate in the heel bone is injured
- Stress fractures – bones are breaking on a more microscopic scale
- Sprains and strains – muscles, tendons, and ligaments may be weakened or even torn
Treatment for Children's Foot Injuries:
Early treatment is best. We at the New Mexico Foot and Ankle Institute can provide expert, individualized treatment plans.
Tips to Preventing Foot Injuries in Children:
In general, have your child do multiple sports, don’t be on multiple teams for the same sport, gradually have your child increase in activity (practice before season starts) and always take a stretching break after 10-15 minutes of light sport.
