Page 90 - The Connection Warren-Watchung Edition September 2012

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Health and Wellness
PAGE 90
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SPORTS AND YOUR CHILDREN’S FEET
By: Marco Ucciferri, DPM, FACFAS
Children and Sports
All parents know that children take to sports like ducks
to water. Almost as soon as they start to walk, they’re
chasing balls, swinging sticks, and running races against
nobody in particular.
Children’s sports used to mean baseball, basketball, or
football. That’s changed. Soccer has leapt onto the
youth sports scene, as have wrestling, tennis, and
lacrosse with older children. The starting age for train-
ing in individual sports such as swimming, skating,
track, and gymnastics grows younger every year.
Parents should encourage their children to participate in
sports but never forget that competition should be fun.
Too much emphasis on winning can alienate a child
from athletic competition.
Children active in sports programs will improve their car-
diovascular and musculoskeletal systems, coordination,
and state of mind. Participation in sports develops a
sense of self discipline, teamwork, and recognition of
the importance of a healthy body – good habits that last
a lifetime.
Training Emphasis
Every child physically matures at his or her own rate and
has a different degree of athletic ability. No amount of
training can improve a child’s natural athletic ability, but
training helps improve coordination and therefore per-
formance.
Early training should emphasize proper technique and
basic movement skills in all sports, especially in children
younger than 10. Podiatric physicians, specialists in
treating the lower extremities, say children who con-
centrate on a single sport at too young an age are more
likely to develop injuries of the foot and ankle. Save spe-
cialization in sports for the late teens, is advised.
Warming up before participating in sports is more
important for adults than children, but it helps loosen
the muscles and prevent injuries in athletes of all ages.
Light jogging and smooth stretching exercises (be sure
not to bounce when stretching) are all that’s necessary
for young athletes. Learning to stretch at an early age
will set a good pattern for sports activities as the body
develops.
Footwear
Whether parents like it or not, part of a child’s image
revolves around footwear. Expensive sneakers have
become fashion statements as much as athletic equip-
ment. But for good foot health, the condition of the
shoe is more important than the price tag or brand
name.
Podiatric physicians agree it’s often better to buy a child
two $50 pairs of shoes than a single $100 pair, so the
shoes can be rotated to avoid rapid wear deterioration.
Excessive wearing of the outsole, loss of shoe counter
support, or wearing out in the midsole indicate it’s time
to replace the shoes.
Because a child’s feet are constantly growing, it is impor-
tant to allow at least one finger’s width from the end of
the longest toe when buying shoes. Remember, proper fit
is very important. You can have the best shoe in the
world, but if it doesn’t fit right, it doesn’t do its job.
In the shoe store, children should put on both shoes,
with their athletic socks and the laces tied tight, for sev-
eral minutes to properly check the shoes’ fit. Shop for
shoes in the afternoon, when the feet are naturally
slightly swollen.
In young children, an “all purpose” sports shoe works
well for most sports. A running-specific shoe is not suit-
able as an all purpose shoe; moving laterally in a run-
ning shoe is more difficult and presents greater risk of
injury for children. After the age of 10, sport-specific
shoes can help improve performance and protect the
feet. With the exception of the running shoe, a degree
of crossover between sporting shoes is usually not
harmful to the feet of a child athlete.
Rubber cleats are not usually necessary for children
under 10, though they pose little potential harm for
them. They are most useful on a soft-field sport such as
soccer. Podiatric physicians recommend molded shoe
rubber cleats rather than the screw-on variety. Metal
baseball spikes can be dangerous and should not be
used until the teenage years.
Growing Bones and Ligaments
The immature bones of children are different from those
of adults. The “growth plates” in children’s bones do not
finish closing until age 15-17 in boys and 13-15 in girls.
When stressed, these plates are more susceptible to
injury than the tendons and ligaments that support the
joints. Ligaments tend to “give” before bones in adults.
Podiatric physicians warn repetitive overuse can cause
inflammation of the growth plates. They advise parents
to promote diverse physical activities for their children
rather than one sport. This is especially important with
individual sports such as running, gymnastics, and ten-
nis, which require long hours of practice.
Statistics show children who concentrate on just one
sport for long hours at a time are setting themselves up
for injuries. Because of the susceptibility of bones with
open growth centers to overuse injuries, sponsors of the
Boston Marathon recently increased the minimum par-
ticipation age from 16 to 18.
A sports medicine podiatrist can offer a thorough exam-
ination of the entire lower extremity and identify a leg
length imbalance, weakness, or biomechanical imbal-
ances that may need to be addressed to prevent injuries
on the athletic field.
Injuries and Treatments
Many children suffer from mild “torsional” imbalances,
commonly known as in-toeing and out-toeing. Most
children outgrow these imbalances without medical
treatment. However, if a child has obvious torsional
imbalances, he or she may be more susceptible to injury.
If that is the case, keep a close eye out for foot and
ankle injuries associated with sports activity. Foot
injuries commonly seen in very active children include
ankle sprains, fractures, shin splints & stress fractures.
Tips
• Don’t put too much performance pressure on
your child.
• Don’t let children use running shoes for court
sports. An ankle sprain could result.
• Change shoes often. Check the sizing and wear
regularly.
Foot & Ankle
Care Associates
Cosmetic and Pain Relief Specialists