When should I bring my child to see a Podiatrist?

When should I bring my child to see a Podiatrist?

His brother has very flat feet and wears orthotics, so I thought I’d get him checked too. He doesn’t get any pain though. I hope that’s okay that I’ve brought him in?

You wouldn’t believe the number of parents I see who are almost embarrassed to have made an appointment for their little one because they’re not sure if they should have.

When should I bring my child to see a Podiatrist? - 1

Little people get pain as well. DON’T wait till your child is in pain to look after them

After chatting to them about why they are uncertain, the most common thoughts floating through a parent’s minds tend to be:

• Is he too young to come in for an appointment? I’m not sure what a good age for this is.
• He doesn’t actually get any pain so I’m not sure if I need to have him looked at?
• I think I might be over-thinking this because it’s only a small thing I’ve noticed!
• This might just be a normal part of her growing, I’m just not sure what’s normal!

These are all very valid thoughts and concerns, and are completely NORMAL!

Unless you’ve undertaken a 4-year podiatry degree and then had at least a few years on top of that working particularly with kids, then there’s not a single person in this world that can expect you to know what is and isn’t normal and when to bring your little one in.

That’s PERFECTLY okay – we’ve taken care of that hard “qualification” stuff for you!

Let me quickly clear up a few of the burning questions:

1. There is NO such thing as too young. We see kids as early as 12 months old – from the moment that they start walking! You’re actually doing us a favour – firstly because the younger we start treating, the better (and faster!) the results tend to be, and secondly because if we have to wait before we start treating, we are able to see and track the progression and changes in your child’s feet. I often ask if the foot was like this a year ago and am often greeted with ‘I honestly don’t know’. The more pieces of the puzzle we have, the more specific we can get in our treatment plan.

2. Pain is NOT the only indicator that something’s wrong. Parental instincts are a powerful thing – if you notice that something is odd, or isn’t quite right, there may well be something going on that needs to be addressed. Don’t doubt yourself!

3. A small thing may indicate something bigger happening. You’re not over-thinking anything at all – everything has a cause, and sometimes something as seemingly small and resolvable as a little bit of in-toeing can actually be a result of a structural foot abnormality that needs correction before it gets worse or weakness in the core muscles that need strengthening to correct and aid normal development.

I think the BIGGEST thing that I want to emphasise here is that we LOVE that you bring your child in at an early age! We LOVE that you just want to get their feet checked to make sure everything is progressing normally. We LOVE that you want to be as proactive as us and prevent any problems from developing instead of having to fix a painful foot after the pain has already started. We will NEVER think it was a bad idea to bring your little one in.

When should I bring my child to see a Podiatrist? - 2

Kids are at the centre of what we do – it’s WHY we come to work – and nothing makes us happier than seeing happy, healthy and active children running around our practice and tearing up our toy box (literally, we have a drawer filled with toys now).

Nina Lansdowne
A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle care
Penrith, St Marys and soon to come to a suburb near you!

A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care have founded “My Kids Foot Doctor” a clinic specifically geared towards treating Kids feet. We see dozens of kids a day, unlike other practitioners who see your Grandma’s toe nails and the occasional kid we see these balls of fun all day every day.
Our clinics are set up with kids in mind we have big toy boxes, Ipads, TV’s coloring in and lucky dip boxes. Our practitioners are the kind that sit on the ground and chat to your child, who laugh, may wear silly glasses and love handing out chocolate WE LOVE SEEING KIDS!
What does this mean? It means we have built up an enormous amount of experience with kids because we get to see them ALL the time! If we can help you with your little one, if you have a nagging doubt or worry please call our helpful team on 96732987 we’d love to help!
Back to school shoes reviewed on the Today Show

Back to school shoes reviewed on the Today Show

Did you catch our Podiatrist Dr Brenden Brown on the Today show? Brenden is an expert when it comes to Kids feet and the Today show called on him to review the best School Shoes for 2014.

Podiatrist Dr Brenden Brown reviews the best school shoes for 2014

Podiatrist Dr Brenden Brown reviews the best school shoes for 2014

Watch the clip below and see what Brenden says will help keep your kids healthy happy and active.

Due to the magic of TV (meaning its pretty quick and you don’t get all the time you’d like on TV) Brenden doesn’t get to mention all of his TOP 4 see our other blog post HERE

where Brenden reviews all his favourite school shoes for your kids.

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/best-back-to-school-shoes/xtqh7cf

 

Best School shoe’s for 2014

Best School shoe’s for 2014

Dr Brenden’s top school shoe picks for 2014.

Back to school has hit us again, it’s time for kids to head back into the class rooms and not only hit the books but also hit the school yard in their new school shoes!

Kids spend over 30 hours a week in their school shoes and while most of us think of them simply as a school shoe they also, at school, may become a netball shoe, a handball shoe, a soccer boot, a cricket shoe or even a get chased by a bully shoe!! Needless to say it’s essential that these shoes are tough and sturdy to undertake all this work.

As a parent of two kids myself I understand while we all like to make sure we get the best for our kids we also have to think about the money that its cost to send our kids to school and it all adds up. Many parents hope to get a full year out of a pair of shoes for their child so that’s approximately 40+ weeks of school for most kids. Considering a 40 week year for most shoes we have split up the cost to consider how much that school shoe is costing us each week for our kids. So you can get shoes from as little as 75 cents a week up to worth 3.20 a week more expensive but I believe still a reasonable price to pay for keeping your kids healthy and active!

I have reviewed what I think are some of the school shoe picks of 2014. Some are more expensive and others I have looked at with those on a budget in mind. In essence you get what you pay for but we were pleasantly surprised with one or two of the cheaper models.

I have reviews both traditional school shoes and my favourite runner or sneaker style shoe in all black leather so people get an option as I know a lot of kids love these as well.

I have listed these from my favourite down however the bottom shoes are by no means terrible and in fact are in many respects good shoes.

BEST NEWCOMER!

Start-Rite YorkStart right

  • ·         School-style shoe
  • ·         Unisex
  • ·         Firm heel counter
  • ·         Bends at the toe
  • ·         Doesn’t twist
  • ·         Doesn’t flex at the middle
  • ·         All leather
  • ·         Black lace-up

·         Priced at $129.00 about $3.20 a week

Brenden Says: This is a relative new comer to my list I have not reviewed this shoe before and I have been really impressed with its appearance on the market! All the qualities I look for in a shoe and to me looks like a tough all-round school shoe!

BEST OF THE BEST – Brenden’s top 4!

ASCENT – SCHOLAR and APEX  Ascentscholar

  • ·         Firm heel counter
  • ·         Runner style sole
  • ·         All leather shoe
  • ·         Removable insole for orthotics
  • ·         Bends at toe
  • ·         Doesn’t twist
  • ·         Female / youth
  • ·         Available in 4 widths

From $109.95 (junior size) to $129.95 (adult size) Kids sizes about $2.75 a week

Brenden Says: I have been watching these shoe’s develop and I really feel they are great shoe’s I think Ascent as a brand are developing some excellent quality shoes. Yes I know I am cheating here that this is in fact two shoes but I like these equally and believe they both deserve a mention. I like the School shoe look but the almost sneaker style shoe base. Bends at the toes in all the right places but is strong in the middle and heel where it is needed.

 

Start-Rite YorkStart right

  • ·         School-style shoe
  • ·         Unisex
  • ·         Firm heel counter
  • ·         Bends at the toe
  • ·         Doesn’t twist
  • ·         Doesn’t flex at the middle
  • ·         All leather
  • ·         Black lace-up

·         Priced at $129.00 about $3.20 a week

Brenden Says: Yes the newcomer makes the top 4! As I said above I think this is a relative new comer has all the qualities I look for in a shoe and to me looks like a tough all-round school shoe! Firm heel counter and solid shank to support kids feet!

CLARKS – 24 SE7ENClarks 24se7en

  • Firm heel counter
  • Runner style sole
  • All leather shoe
  • Removable insole for orthotics
  • Bends at toe
  • Doesn’t twist

Priced at $124.95 about $3 a week

Brenden Says:  A good shoe that has been doing a good job for kids for a number of years. I think kids will like this shoe it has a chunky see through sole that kids seem to love. It has a firm heel counter that is essential to good footwear. Bends and flex’s in the right spots!

 

Asics Gel-510TR GAsics 510

  • Firm heel counter
  • Bends at the toe
  •  Doesn’t twist
  • Doesn’t flex at the middle
  • Running style
  • All leather
  • Black lace-up

·         Price point is RRP of $100 about $2.50 a week

Brenden Says:  As a sneaker based shoe this is by far my favourite. I recommend it to any parent looking for a sneaker style school shoe. Its leather based with all the properties of a good quality running shoe. In my experience it seems to last a school year really well which I have noted not all sneaker style running shoes do. A winner for me.

 

ON A BUDGET.

GRO-SHU – LEARNGro- shu

  • Firm heel counter
  • Removable insole for orthotics
  • Bends at toe
  • Doesn’t twist
  • Leather lined

$39.99  @ Payless Shoes about $1.00 a week!  

Brenden Says:  This is a good shoe for its price point. While it doesn’t have all the stability I like to see in a school shoe for those on a tight budget at 39.99 I think it out weights others in its class. No you are not getting all the features of the top 4

 

GROSBY DURABLES – SCHOOLGrosby -Durable

  • Firm heel counter
  • Removable insole for orthotics
  • Bends at toe
  • Doesn’t twist
  • Leather upper

$30.00 Big W about 75 cents a week!!!!

Brenden Says:  At this tiny price you can afford a few of these a year compared to some of its more heavily priced competitors. In kids small sizes this is a good shoe. It’s not the strongest and it may not last as long as some of the others but at that price you wouldn’t expect it to. As this shoe get bigger in size it loses some of the stability I prefer in the more expensive models but as a Jnr shoe on a budget it’s a good alternative.

Tips when choosing shoes:

  1. Thumb width’s room between the end of the shoe and the end of the longest to
  2. The fastening mechanism (lace-up, Velcro or buckle are best!) should hold the heel firmly in the back of the shoe
  3. The back part of the shoe ‘heel counter’ should be strong and stable
  4. The shoe should flex across the ball of the foot (not in the middle!)
  5. The sole should not twist!
Are your childs feet healthy ?

Are your childs feet healthy ?

Kids feet need health checks

Kids feet need health checks

Kid’s feet come in all different shapes and sizes and so do their FEET!

Having healthy feet is vital to a child’s development. Did you know that problems not resolved in children’s feet can become major problems for them when they become adults?

Not all kids foot problems show up by resulting in pain while many parents recognise flat feet as a problem many other signs may not be as obvious!

Tripping and falling – tiring easily while walking or playing – laziness – clumsiness – growing pains and trouble keeping up with peers are all signs that your child may have developmental problems with their feet.

Appointments can be made and are available at our St Marys and Penrith clinics 9673 2987 or 47322007

At a step ahead we have a passion for looking after kid’s feet! As a result our practice is very kid orientated and we get to see loads of kids – we love what we do!

Our team will check your child’s feet ensuring that no unidentified problems continue! Kids need healthy feet to develop normally so our podiatrist will video them walking playing and running, they will test their muscles to see how they are developing after taking a detailed history to get an idea how they are developing.

Our job is to make sure your child get to be their best! and we think its kinda cool – because seeing kids get better, run faster, play longer and smile more makes our day! We live for the smile a happy kid can bring to your life.

Our team is led by Dr Brenden Brown – He has over 20 years experience. His passion for looking after kids foot health has made him recognised as an expert on kids feet in Australia. Brenden has been the Podiatry advisor and expert for Clarks kids footwear Australia for many years. He has feature on Television, on channel NINE on the today show and A current affair helping parent to make good school shoe choices each year and advising on good foot health. He has also featured in magazine like Practical parenting and Good Medicine magazines along with Men’s Health, Women’s health, Woman’s Day, Cosmopolitan and many many more!

Brenden though is most proud of being a dad of two young girls and understanding what its like to be a parent and looking after two growing kids!

Appointments can be made and are available at our St Marys and Penrith clinics 9673 2987 or 47322007