Childhood is when one’s body undergoes slow but steady development. Nowhere is this more apparent than when children grow both in height and weight as bones and muscles gain mass to be able to support the body in later years. Their level of activity and kind of diet, among other factors, determine the type of body they’ll have for the rest of their lives.
However, development also means that their bones and muscles haven’t matured to the point that they can withstand impacts. As a result, they’re prone to physical injuries from sports or other activities. Additionally, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) said children under 10 years old are “at special risk,” more so when wearing cleats.
A lack of proper treatment and protection can lead to children’s feet growing differently—and not necessarily better. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your child’s risk of foot injuries, whether on the field or at home.
Checkups Are Important
If your child plays for Little League or any other sporting league, ACFAS advises that they undergo a preseason checkup (PSC). The ideal healthcare professionals to conduct this kind of checkup depends on the potential health risks that may arise during the season.
A PSC is like any other visit to the doctor or dentist, assessing your child’s medical history and conducting a few motor tests. The only difference is the right time to get the checkup. Medical organizations differ on how often a person should get one, but they concur that it should be done at least six weeks before preseason practice begins.
As many sports involve plenty of dashing and sprinting, getting your child’s feet checked is a no-brainer. The most qualified person for such a checkup is an Idaho Falls podiatrist, one who specializes in issues involving feet and the lower half of the legs.
If foot problems require immediate treatment, a podiatrist is often well-equipped and trained to deliver various treatment methods during the first PSC. Some examples of foot problems include bunions, ingrown toenails, and deformities such as flat feet.
Urge Them Not To Push Too Hard
It’s reasonable for youth athletes to give it their all when competing. The feeling of regret for doing otherwise is too real and, along with the reality of losing, can eat them up inside. However, it’s more dangerous when that defeat comes with a sprained ankle or any injury.
Defeat may be a hard pill to swallow for career athletes, but at least they’re healthy enough to try their luck again. With an injury, however, who knows when they’ll be fit to play for the team again—if at all? You can be proud of your child for playing in a league, but you should tell them not to push beyond what their body can handle.
If that sounds like stating the obvious, then you’re good because it isn’t for many parents. In 2017, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a basketball player who was well-known for continuing to play despite injuries and exhaustion. The cheers from the crowd, mostly parents including his father, urged him on, only to later suffer from a related disease.
The son’s athletic career is long behind him. His father, who played college basketball until suffering a career-ending ankle injury himself, was clearly remorseful.
This phenomenon isn’t new, with similar stories reported back in the early 2000s. Sports medicine experts researching the topic learned that the reasons for children engaging in sports aren’t that complicated. They just want to have fun, make new friends, and learn new things; throw in a parent or coach’s obsession with the game, and they lose interest.
And when their mind isn’t on the game, not to mention their step, bad things can happen. Basketball and football, which have the highest injury rates among children ages 5 to 14 (as per CPSC data), see a lot of running and agile movement. It’s better to tell your child to stop the moment they feel pain, especially in the lower leg area.
Join Them In Warming Up
Whether for playtime at home or the big tourney, warm-ups are an undeniable aspect of sports. Many people believe the reason is that the body needs to boost its temperature before training or the game, but sports medicine researchers believe it goes beyond that.
According to this paper published in Sports Medicine, warmups are about achieving full physical and mental readiness. Researchers use the term “neuromuscular activation” to prepare the body for the strenuous demands of a specific sport or activity. They also help shift gears from thinking about the “outer world” to the needs of the sport or activity.
The paper also states that, contrary to popular belief, there’s little to no evidence that a warmup can prevent physical injury. However, it doesn’t mean a warmup can’t achieve such a result. Shifting one’s focus on training or competition does tend to make athletes more mindful of their movements and approaches.
While your child may not come across or understand the importance of warming up, you can share with them. Instead of citing the benefits one by one, why not join them in a few exercises? This is especially the case when it’s the middle of the pre-season or you want your kid to get more physically active.
The exercises that comprise your warmup routine depend on the sport or activity. Some are designed to strengthen specific parts of the body, while others aren’t made for a sport. Regardless, it pays to incorporate some foot exercises, such as picking up marbles and ironing out a piece of cloth with your feet.
Can’t Go Wrong With Regular Sports Shoes
Some sports require players to wear special footwear, such as cleats for soccer and spikes for baseball and golf. They share the same function, improving traction on the playing field, with a few differences such as the material.
However, ACFAS says children athletes need neither. If anything, cleats are unnecessary at least until the age of 10, while spikes shouldn’t be worn until teens. The stress exerted by these kinds of shoes is too much for their developing bones to bear.
Starting with the cleats, studies show that the rear foot tends to bend forward when cleats sink into natural turf. Known as dorsiflexion, this poor position can result in ankle sprains. Worse, the heel bone experiences forces up to twice the body weight when wearing cleats, a risk factor for developing Sever’s disease.
The same can be said for spikes, as they’re designed for use among adolescents and older. Their lack of support, especially for the heel bone, requires the wearer’s lower leg and foot bones to be fully developed to withstand strong forces. In Australia, Little Athletics forbids athletes under 10 years old from wearing such footwear in any of its sporting events.
ACFAS stresses that there isn’t anything wrong with participating in regular sports shoes. While not made to maximize traction, they’re made for all-around use for long periods, including sports. Avoiding damage to developing bones should take precedence over being competitive, the latter of which can’t be achieved until the child reaches their 20s.
Discourage Risky Behavior
Childhood is a time to be curious about the world and free to explore it. Learning new stuff this early in life helps children prepare for adulthood and make more informed life choices. Until that time comes, however, parents should be by their side, helping them discern right from wrong—or, in this case, safe from unsafe.
For the record, this tip doesn’t discourage letting your child engage in risky play. Under the right conditions, it can teach them skills that’ll be useful later in life. Examples of risky play include climbing trees, balancing on beams, and sword fights with sticks.
That said, it shouldn’t be denied that the risk of injury is clear. Climbing trees may be fun, but a lot can go wrong when climbing one with rotting or weakened branches. Enacting a sword fight from their favorite TV show or movie can be great, but it’s a different story if the activity results in bruised or broken limbs.
Risky play doesn’t mean unsupervised play. Parents (or, in the absence thereof, authorized adults) still have to keep an eye on what kind of game their children are playing. They need to step in when there’s a danger of someone getting hurt. They’re also obligated to educate their kids on such activities being unacceptable behavior.
If you’re having difficulty coming up with risky plays, you won’t find a shortage of examples on the Internet. Summer camps are a great venue for children to engage in such activities in a relatively safe environment.
Key Takeaways
Children’s feet at this stage haven’t fully matured, and an unaddressed injury or issue can change how they develop over time. It pays to mitigate your child’s risk of injury in any way you can, whether they’re playing for a league or having the time of their childhood life with friends and family.
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