Healthy feet matter

Help your child to start off on the right foot.

Are you worried about your toddler’s bandy legs or knock knees? His flat feet or ingrown toenails? The way your baby walks, runs and balances on his feet could affect his skeletal development from his ankles, knees, hips and spine as he grows older. The average adult walks 18 000 steps a day – children can do a lot more than that. For this, we use design masterpieces: each foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles, over 100 ligaments, thousands of nerve endings and a complex network of veins. No wonder modern humans protect their feet with shoes. Unfortunately, though, this also leads to problems.

IF THE SHOE FITS

About 70 percent of all foot problems stem from wearing the wrong shoes, and a lot of foot problems start in childhood.

It’s not a question of “if” the shoe fits, but making sure that it does, because the bones of your toddler’s developing feet are still soft and malleable. At birth there are only small specks of bone growth points in three of the foot’s bones – the rest is soft tissue and cartilage.

The cartilage can take up to 21 years to mature into the 26 bones in an adult foot. This makes your baby’s feet particularly vulnerable to the pressure exerted by wrong or ill-fitting shoes. And don’t think your baby will complain if his shoes are uncomfortable or hurt him. The cartilage is more pliable than bone, so he probably won’t notice.

However, one day he will have to live with the consequences. Just think of the deformed feet of those women who had them bound as children. That’s how fragile and pliable a child’s foot is!

Shoes are important because your baby’s feet carry his whole body weight. When he’s standing still, his heels carry 50 percent of his body weight, the joints of his big toes carry 25 percent, and the other 25 percent is distributed across the balls of his feet. The widest part of your child’s foot is over his toes, so his shoes have to be shaped like a triangle, allowing enough space for the toes.

SHOES FOR HEALTHY FEET

The South African Podiatry Society compiled these guidelines for children’s shoes:

LENGTH The shoe should be 1.2 to 1.6cm longer than your baby’s foot. There should be a space of at least an adult’s finger width in front of your baby’s longest toe.

WIDTH You must be able to pinch a small fold of the front part of the shoe between your thumb and forefinger when the shoe is on your baby’s foot.

HEEL HEIGHT 0mm to 6mm for toddlers, and no more than 15mm for older children

HEEL Shoes without heels are the best, but if you want to buy heeled shoes for your little girl, choose a wide heel, made of shock-absorbing material.

SHAPE The front of the shoe should be shaped to fit around the toes.

UPPERS Choose natural materials such as leather or cotton.

TOE ROOM Your child should be able to wiggle his toes comfortably in the shoes.

WEIGHT Avoid heavy shoes; they place extra strain on small feet and can hinder normal development. Baby shoes shouldn’t weigh more than 30g each. Toddler shoes can weigh up to 110g, and children’s shoes 260g per shoe.

SOLES These have to be very flexible, especially under the ball of the foot, and made of shock-absorbing material. Because children run and jump around so much, shock absorption is very important. The soles should be able to bend 55º under the ball of the foot.

“It’s no use if the shoes can bend in half. The ball of your foot stays on the ground; it’s the back part that needs to be able to bend,” says Durban-based podiatrist Anette Thompson. Avoid thick-soled shoes because they will inhibit your child’s movement and normal foot development.

Each foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles, over 100 ligaments, thousands of nerve endings and a complex network of veins.

BAREFOOT OR NOT?

“Yes please and as often as possible,” Debbie says. “It’s not only important for the development of children’s foot muscles, it also teaches your child proprioception, which gives his brain an indication of where his foot is in space. Walking barefoot also stimulates the sensory nervous system.

HOW ARE FOOT PROBLEMS TREATED?

Soft tissue and cartilage problems can be sorted out with shoe inserts or leg braces, made according to your child’s measurements. Debbie adds: “We can also recommend foot exercises, physiotherapy and occupational therapy to fix things like muscles that are too short. Problems with bones need surgery, but rest assured that doctors don’t take foot operations on children lightly.”

EXERCISES FOR SMALL FEET

“Any walking, jumping or running activities are good exercise,” Anette says. ”Don’t think feet are exempt from bad muscle tone. The more your child plays and runs around, the better for his foot development,” Debbie says.

More tips to help small feet get stronger:

■ Let your child write the ABC with his feet, with pointed toes. It’s good exercise for his muscles and joints.

■ Invest in a basketball hoop and let him shoot hoops. Standing on your toes like that is a great exercise to strengthen the foot bridge.

■ Jumping on a trampoline is also good for the feet.

The more your child plays and runs around, the better for his foot development.