Paediatric gait development
The way children walk and when to seek help is always a hard question for parents and caregivers. When children start walking their centre of mass is low and they have a wide stance with their feet pointing out to stabilize. As they develop this decreases, and around the age of 2-4 you start seeing heel contact and the child begins pushing off with their big toe to move forward. In addition children have a fat pad under their arch which can make them look like they have a flat foot until the age of approximately 4. All these conditions can cause concern.
It is hard to say when they need help. The best advice we can give is that if your think your child walks abnormally, or trips often or has pain then come and see us for a quick check up. We can do an assessment and tell you if there are any problems. We can advise you whether it needs to be treated or if they will grow through the developmental stage they are in.
The most important aspect with children’s feet is the shoes they wear. When children are growing up they need to have flexible shoes through where the big toe bends, especially to help muscles of the foot to develop. They also need support around the heels. Shoes should not bend through the middle or in every direction, and if they are as stiff as a plank they should not be worn.
What can Healthy Step do for you?
- We can assess your child’s problem and how they walk to see if they need treatment.
- We can assess their shoes and advise you what to look for when buying footwear
- Use orthotics if required.
- If we think it needs more attention we can refer you to the suitable practitioners for further treatment.
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