As your child grows and becomes more active, he or she may be trying out different sports. However, children are unfortunately accident-prone and vulnerable to sustaining injuries as their joints and bones may not be fully developed. Whilst the occasional tripping and falling is expected, the risks of injury increases when your child becomes actively involved in recreational or competitive sports. It is therefore important to monitor your child’s development closely when picking up new activities.
The common causes of lower limb sporting injuries include:
Sudden increase in intensity of activity
Lack of appropriate training and conditioning for required movements
Overuse injury with excessive training or competition
Tight muscles/tendons in the legs
Gait abnormalities (overpronation or oversupination)
Ill-fitting, unsupportive or worn out shoes
Wearing inappropriate footwear (e.g. not wearing the right type of football boots with relevant studs on various football surfaces)
Use of inappropriate sports equipment
Injury from contact sports
Obesity
When should I be concerned for my child?
You should bring your child for a professional assessment by a paediatrician, physiotherapist or podiatrist if he or she experiences the following:
Trips and fall often when doing sports or running
Persistent aches or pains during or after activity
Frequent injuries (e.g. ankle sprains, shin splints, knee pain)
Inability/difficulty to perform specific sports required movement (e.g. jumping, twisting, sprinting)
How can a Podiatrist help?
Our podiatrist will conduct a thorough evaluation of your legs and feet to identify the cause. A detailed history and physical examination will be conducted. We will also need to assess the sport specific movements that cause the symptoms.
Hip examination
Knee examination
Ankle and foot examination
Functional assessment of sports specific movements
Walking and running gait analysis
Footwear assessment
From the findings, the podiatrist will construct a treatment plan. Depending on the severity of the condition, treatment will include the application of sports taping, foot orthoses, footwear changes, and specific exercises to strengthen the lower limbs and feet.
Let our podiatrists help with preventing or managing your child’s sports injury!
