Infant & Pediatric Foot Care

Foot care in infants and children is important to ensure your child develops feet that will support the growth of their body. It is crucial to address any foot or ankle problems as soon as possible. Because infants feet grow quickly, it is not recommended to wait until your child begins to walk. There are a variety of different foot issues that can arise in infants such as in and out toeing, flat feet, warts, ingrown toenails, heel pain, fungal infections. Proper assessment and treatment early on can prevent foot and ankle issues as an adult. 

How Can We Help?

With every client we begin with a complete Pediatric Assessment to ensure that we can provide the most effective, necessary and painless treatment possible. Our non-invasive treatments such as orthotics are designed to maintain proper foot support for prevention and management of the foot condition. Contact us to discuss your infants foot health so we can more accurately assist you.

Corns and Calluses

Calluses are created due to pressure and friction on the skin, causing the skin to become hard and thick. This is a natural process that your body develops to help protect the skin underneath. They can develop on any part of the body, however the most common are on the ball of the foot and under the big toe. Corns can often develop because of the pressure to the bone against the skin and are most commonly hard, however they can also be soft or dry. Corns and calluses can result in inflammation and acute pain and sometimes can be an indication to a more severe foot condition.

How Can We Help?

We do not suggest you cut away or scrape away the callus. A proper evaluation is needed to provide effective treatment to relieve pain by removing the corn or callus. An effective long term care is effective for prevention with specialized inserts or custom made orthotics. It is important to consult with a podiatrist to ensure that you prevent further damage to the area.

Heel Pain

Because the heel takes the weight from the entire body, the heel is the largest bone in the foot. Heel pain is located at the bottom of your foot or at the back of the heel. Heel pain is primarily caused by inflammation to the ligament attached to the bone or the tendon. It is often caused by the overuse of exercise, running or falling. It is quite common in adults, and in most cases, it is not a serious health condition. Heel pain can also be caused by Plantar Fasciitis, stress fracture, Tendonitis, Arthritis, nerve irritation or a cyst. 

How Can We Help?

We create custom made orthotic prescriptions to stabilize any mechanical abnormalities and prevent pain and inflammation. When you first experience heel pain we suggest putting an ice pack on your heel with a paper towel in between for approx 20 minutes throughout the day to assist in reducing inflammation.

Ingrown Toenails

An Ingrown Toenail is a nail that continues to grow into the flesh of the foot. Ingrown Toenails are most common in the big toe and often result in redness, pain, discomfort and infection. 

How Can We Help?

If you are experiencing an ingrown toenail we suggest that you have a foot bath with Epsom salts to prevent infection and minimize any inflammation.

Depending on the severity of the ingrown toenail, we treat ingrown toenails with care to help relieve any pain and discomfort. For a less severe ingrown toenail, we cut away the ingrown section. For a more severe ingrown toenail, we perform minor nail surgery to remove part of, or all of the nail.

warts

Warts that appear on the bottom of the feet are called Plantar warts. Warts are developed due to infections and viruses beneath the skin. Plantar warts are common for all ages and are usually not a severe condition. Warts can be caused by a virus such as HPV if you have an untreated or open wound and attacks the bottom of the foot. These types of warts are often picked up around pools, or in warm, moist locations.

How Can We Help?

The most effective treatment is using a specialized technique to remove the wart. Additional methods may be suggested such as Bioflex cold laser therapy to assist in pain management.

bunions

Bunions are a bone deformity to the joint where the foot meets the big toe. The biggest indicator for a bunion is when the bone on the big foot points outwards, and the top of the toe points inwards towards the rest of the toes. Often bunions are developed due to improper footwear, genetic factors or a chronic condition such as arthritis is present. 

How Can We Help?

We take a non-surgical approach and provide treatments to help reduce pain and increase movement. The most common treatment is custom orthotics or therapeutic shoes to support and address any imbalances that may be causing the bunion.

Hammer Toe

Hammertoe is the result of the bending of one or more of toes next to the big toe. The most common cause is due to wearing improper shoes that are narrow or tight, such as high heels. Hammertoe can also be developed from a tendon and/or muscle imbalance which causes the foot to deform over time. 

How Can We Help?

Custom made Orthotics are highly recommended to treat Hammertoe, along with physical therapy to help support and strengthen all toes. Depending on the stage or development of Hammer Toe, such as if the condition is left too long we may require a surgical solution. 

tendonitis

Tendonitis occurs when the tendons start to break down and/or they become inflamed which reduces mobility and causes pain. Tendonitis can happen to any tendons in the body, however, when the tendonitis occurs in the feet it causes sharp pain on the outer side of the foot and around the back of the foot. In some cases, such as peroneal tendonitis, pain can radiate on the outside of the lower leg. Tendonitis is most common in athletes and men and women over the age of 40 years old. 

How Can We Help?

If suspect that you have Tendonitis, immediately use the common RICE practice which involves rest, ice, compression and elevation. After a physical examination and assessment we provide effective treatments which may include providing you with physical therapy to increase range of motion, provide Therapeutic foot care to relieve pain and in very rare cases, surgery may be an option.

plantar fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is commonly described as inflammation to the band of tissue that joins the heel bone across the bottom of the foot to the toes. Pain occurs suddenly, and can feel like a throbbing heel pain that can increase over time if left untreated. Plantar Fasciitis arises due to the imperfection of the overall foot structure; such as high arches, overly flat feet, or wearing non-supportive footwear for long hours. 

How Can We Help?

Due to the nature of Plantar Fasciitis, using custom made orthotics are highly beneficial for a long-term supportive solution and prevention measures. Working with your podiatrist they will be able to determine the best approach and treatment depending on the severity of the condition.

sports injuries

The most common foot and ankle injuries for athletes are plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, sprains and strains. Sports injuries come on suddenly, due to an incident but can also develop gradually over time. 

How Can We Help?

Depending if the injury is related to the bone, joint or tissue will determine the treatment. It isn’t common to perform surgical treatments, most cases will involve a non-invasive treatment to reduce inflammation and pain. We work with you to ensure that are taken care of in every step of your recovery and provide solutions for future prevention.

foot and ankle arthritis

Arthritis is inflammation to the joints in the foot and ankle. This swelling and inflammation to the joints can cause pain and stiffness.

How Can We Help?

There are a variety of different types of Arthritis and many ways to treat it. At PA Foot & Orthotic Clinic we offer non-invasive surgical options, along with orthotics and alternative therapies to manage the pain and minimize the progression of the disease.