Foot Pain In Children

Foot pain in children can be very distressing and painful. A lot of conditions that cause adult pain can also cause pain in children. These should be given an attention as some condition can have long lasting complications into adulthood. Here are the most common foot problems in children.

• Heel Pain – Heel pain is caused by inflammation in the growth plate on the back of the heel bone. The pain is located on the back or the bottom of the heel and the pain is present even standing or walking. This type of foot pain in children typically occurs from age 10 until the early teens when the growth plate stops growing.

Other causes of heel pain can include pressure on ligaments called plantar fascia, seen in kids with high arches and flat feet. Treatment required icing, stretching and anti inflammatory medications.

• Ingrown Nails – Ingrown nails may be present in any age and any toe. Ingrown nails are inherited. It can also be seen later in life due to the damage of cells under the skin that grows the nail also called nail matrix. Injuries of the toe, such as pressure from poorly fitting shoes can cause foot pain in children and changes to the nail matrix. Changes to the nail matrix may cause the nails from the toes to grow abnormally. Temporary treatment for ingrown nails may consist of applying antibiotics to control the infection and regular soaking in warm water. If antibiotics did not work you need bring your child to a doctor. Surgery is the last option to remove ingrown nails.
• Warts – Warts is cause by virus and they are often hard and painful usually appears on the bottom of the feet. They can appear relatively flat or raised and is caused by a virus. Warts are contagious and can easily spread by contact with skin tissue.
• Sprains – Sprains are common in adults and kids, usually involve the big toe or ankle. Sports, recess activities and active play can cause sprains.

Once again it is important to consult your doctor before trying any medication for foot pain. Foot pain can be a serious problem if not given proper attention and care. Foot pain in children can be treated and prevented as long as you follow proper foot care.

Foot Pain Diagnosis

Foot pain diagnosis is important because the person is made aware of what his condition is and will also provide appropriate measures in how to deal with foot pain. This is usually done through personal and family medical history, diagnostic imaging studies and by physical examination of the foot. Medical history contains information such as swelling, the occurrence of the pain, how worst the pain is, and what happens to the pain under an activity. Family history includes information about the structure of the foot. There are people who are prone to foot pain because of the faulty structure of their feet. Medical conditions that run in the family are also checked. Conditions such as diabetes and arthritis may also be the cause of the problem.

During foot pain diagnosis, how the patient walks with foot pain are also evaluated through physical examinations. The physician also examines the feet, legs and back of the patient. After the personal and medical history has been evaluated the physician will tell the patient all the possible causes of the pain. Diagnostic imaging studies such as x-rays and bone scan are conducted to know the type of condition the patient is suffering from. The most common of the heel pain is the plantar fasciitis or the heel spur syndrome.

After the foot pain diagnosis, the physician will provide several treatments for the patients. For patients that have plantar fasciitis are advised to do some stretching activities so as to help ease the pain. Putting an ice will help lessen the inflammation. However, stretching activities for those who have tendonitis are not advisable for it will damage the muscles on the feet more. Remember not to put the ice directly on the infected area, put a cloth around the ice before applying it. If you are obese, lose some weight so as to reduce strain in your foot. Providing your feet with comfortable shoes is also necessary. High heeled shoes will only put too much strain in your foot.

Patients usually go for the non-surgical treatment but if their foot pain condition tends to get worst, then a surgery is needed. Foot pain diagnosis is needed so as the foot or ankle surgeon will know whether the patient will undergo surgical or non-surgical treatment.

Plantars Wart

A Plantars wart is a tough, horny growth that develops on the balls or heels of your feet.
The Plantars wart grows inward and can be tender and cause foot pain. The portion of the wart under the skin is at least twice the size as the part you can see. Many times you will see a small black pinpoint in the wart on the bottom of your foot. This is actually clotted blood vessels and not wart seeds that many people tend to believe.

Plantars wart is caused by the human papilloma virus and can be contagious. You can contract this virus by walking on contaminated surfaces such as public locker room floors, public showers and swimming pools.

There are many different over the counter treatments that you can utilize to treat plantars wart. One type of treatment is salicylic acid. Dr. Scholl’s Clear Away Plantar for example is a 40 percent salicylic acid solution that is applied to the wart once or twice a day. This solution peels off the infected skin a little bit at a time. This can take up to 3 to 4 weeks. The key to this product working is the consistency in using it each and every day.

Crazy as it sounds duct tape is another treatment for plantars wart. With this treatment, the plantars wart is covered in duct tape for six days, then soaked in water and gently rubbed with an emery board. This may take up to two months for the wart to go away. Again, consistency in the use of this treatment is the key to its success. Duct tape for plantars wart can be a treatment alternative for children who may be frightened of other treatments.

One of the most common treatments for plantars wart is freezing (cryotherapy). With this treatment the doctor will apply liquid nitrogen with a spray canister or q-tip. The nitrogen causes a blister to form around the wart causing the dead skin to fall off within a week. This type of treatment may require trips to your doctor every two to four weeks and can cause slight to moderate pain.

If your plantars warts do not respond to these treatments, more aggressive measures such as minor surgery, laser treatments or immunotherapy many be taken.

To reduce your risk of plantars wart, do not go barefoot in public areas, keep feet clean and dry, avoid direct contact with wart and do not pick at wart.

Most plantars warts are not a serious health concern. However, they can be bothersome and painful and can impact your quality of life. If every step you take is painful, then that is a problem and should be treated. It is important to see your medical doctor who can accurately diagnose and appropriately treat plantars wart.