A Few Tips For Protecting Your Child's Feet, Ankles, And Legs During Sports

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Do You Get Ingrown Toenails?

Hi. My name’s Gregory Grossman. I’m 52 years old and have suffered from ingrown toenails for as long as I can remember. They are torturous! Most of mine would get infected and take weeks to heal. I went to my family doctor numerous times. He would do the best he could to help relieve the pain and speed up the healing process. However, they always came back. Two years ago I sought out a podiatrist. He gave me information about my options. He also told me that my nails were too wide, and there was nothing I could do to avoid this ailment. I opted for the procedure that would permanently remove the excess nail and deaden the area so the nail wouldn't grow back. I had my other foot done just last week. I’m going to share all I have learned and hope it helps you!

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A Few Tips For Protecting Your Child's Feet, Ankles, And Legs During Sports

1 March 2018
 Categories: , Blog


Allowing your child to participate is athletic activities is important to their physical, mental, and emotional health. However, it can also be dangerous to their feet, ankles, and legs. While it is impossible to ensure your child does not suffer any permanent damage, there are some things you can do to reduce the risks. Here are just a few things you should do and be aware of at all times.

Proper Footwear

While athletic footwear can be a bit costly, it is important that your child wears shoes appropriate for the sport. Talk with the team coach to find out what is recommended. If he or she cannot help, go to a sporting goods store to get your answers. In addition, make sure that what they wear fits properly. Now is not the time to buy shoes that are a bit too big to allow for growth. In addition, it is not a good idea to use secondhand shoes as they will be worn in to fit someone else's feet. This may mean you have to buy new shoes more often, but it will protect your child's feet and ankles.

Encourage Different Sports

When a child is involved in only one sport, he or she will do the same motions over and over. This means they will use the same muscles all the time. Encourage them to join other sports so they can use other muscles too. This will prevent some muscle from becoming dominant which may lead to other muscles, ligaments, and tendons becoming weak. When this happens, your child may not walk, sit or stand correctly. It can also be painful when they do something that uses the weakened structures.

Listen to Them

If your child complains of pain, listen to what they are saying. Look over the area that causes the pain, gently touch and move it. While there are bound to be bruises and sprains, if you notice the pain is not going away, getting worse, or is very bad, contact a podiatrist experienced with sports medicine by visiting a site like http://www.elmhurstpodiatry.com.

Sometimes kids will hide the fact that they were hurt. Make sure you watch how he or she moves after practices and games. If you notice anything off, ask them about it and push them until they admit something is wrong. Even a sprain can lead to problems later in life if not treated properly. You may even want to make an appointment with a sports medicine podiatrist every year to make sure there are no problems.