OCR Text |
Show llCl Iff MIES' Ml During Foot Health Week, May 9-15 local Podiatrists suggest preventive medicine to correct problems before they become severe or disabling. This type of care should begin early in life and as parents you have a basic role in giving proper care. AN IMPORTANT aspect to consider in your child's total health care program is his foot health. Because the feet are often taken for granted, and because they are the foundation of your child's overall health, good foot care for your child is vital in the successful attainment of your goal to keep him active and healthy. Have you ever stopped to consider how important your child's foot health is to his future? For one thing, his feet must last through a lifetime of walking. AND MAKE no mistake about it, there will be a lot of walking. During his lifetime, your child will probably walk a distance equal to nearly two and one-half times around the earth. It's not a trip to be taken on aching feet. The poet Walt Whitman put it another way. He said: "Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me." IT'S A goal most every parent has for his children. The parent who realizes that foot health is important has an advantage. Children with ailing feet often find their own, personal goals in life-and life-and their performance in our demanding society-restricted. When a child's overall health is measured, the condition con-dition of his feet must be considered. Foot health isn't something that just happens. It depends on many things. The human foot is one of the most complicated parts of the body, consisting of 26 bones, laced with ligaments, muscles, blood vessels and nerves. IN THE case of children, it is also a rapidly developing bodily structure that, of necessity, needs special care and attention to ensure normal nor-mal growth. During this period, children's feet are quite soft and pliable, and abnormal pressures on them can easily cause deformities. For the infant, the growth rate is practically supersonic. BY THE time your child reaches the age of one year, his feet will have grown to almost one-half the size they will be in his twenty-first year. This is why authorities consider the first year of life as the most important in the development of the feet. At birth, most babies are fortunate enough to have normal, nor-mal, healthy feet. Small, and free from the signs of wear and tear, they need attention to keep minor problems from developing into serious problems later in life. NEGLECTING foot health in the early years can invite problems-not only in the feet themselves, but also in the legs, back, and other areas, because poor foot posture directly affects the rest of the body. There also can be undesirable undesira-ble effects in the child's personality. per-sonality. The youngster with troublesome feet walks awkwardly awk-wardly and usually has poor general posture. As a result, he may become shy, introverted, in-troverted, and avoid athletic or social functions. TO GET your child started on the right foot, here are some important foot health facts worth remembering: Your child has no real need for shoes or socks until he begins to stand or walk. Don't bind bed covers over baby's feet. Such practices restrict his movements and can retard normal development. develop-ment. GIVE YOUR baby a chance to exercise his feet. Allow him some time each day to lie uncovered un-covered by sheets and blankets. He'll be able to kick, put his foot in his mouth, and do all sorts of other related motions that strengthen the feet and prepare them for weight-bearing weight-bearing later in life. Change your baby's position posi-tion several times a day. Lying Ly-ing too long in one spot, especially es-pecially on the stomach, can put excessive strain on the feet and legs. DON'T FORCE your child to walk before he is ready. When he is physically and emotionally prepared, he will walk. Let the child set his own pace. . Comparison with other children, who may begin to take their first steps earlier, are misleading. The age at which the average child begins to walk unaided varies between ten and eighteen months. WHEN YOUR child takes his first few hesitant steps, he is ready for shoes and socks. The first shoes should lace up over the ankles, because young heels are quite narrow and will easily pull out of low cut shoes during walking. Do not hand down shoes from one child to another. Each pair of feet has its own requirements. As your child's feet continue con-tinue to develop, be alert to changes in shoe size. It is often of-ten necessary to change shoe and sock size each month or two during early childhood. IT IS important to allow room for the feet to grow. A shoe which does not allow room for growth will hamper normal development and contribute con-tribute to a deformity. Chinese women who at one time were obligated to bind their feet during childhood, ostensibly to keep them small and alluring for adulthood, were a classic example of the hazards of restricting the feet during the growing years. FOOT PROBLEMS result mainly from injury, deformity, defor-mity, illness or hereditary factors. But improper shoes can aggravate pre-existing conditions and, therefore, are a factor in foot health. Encourage children to walk more. Podiatrists agree that walking is a most important health habit, and the very best of all foot exercises. Like any good habit, it should be developed early and fostered as much as possible. MANY FOOT disorders can develop unnoticed, and your child will probably be the last one to tell you something is wrong with his feet, or that "they hurt." Such things as blisters, corns, or warts are often ignored by active children eager to be at play. Children's feet should be of as much concern as teeth or eyes. The American Podiatry Association has long known of the high incidence of foot defects among the young, and recommends foot examinations examina-tions for school children on a regular basis. IF ANY symptoms of foot problems are suspected or apparent to you, it would be wise to seek professional care. Observe the way your child walks. Do the toes point out? Is he knock-kneed or pigeon-toed? Encourage foot exercise. They can be fun while strengthening muscles not ordinarily used. Exercises such as picking up marbles with the toes and placing them in a pail, or having the child raise himself on tip-toes a number of times are examples, but your family Podiatrist can recommend specific exercise to help your child's particular need. BATHE THE feet regularly, and then dry them completely, comple-tely, especially between the toes, to avoid cracked or inflammed skin. The care you give your child's feet now will have a tremendous influence on his future foot health and well-being, well-being, and enable your child to develop normally "afoot, healthy, free, with the world before him." |