Proper foot support for children is extremely important
Do all kids need orthotics? No. However, there are a few important considerations that parents need to keep in mind when caring for their child’s Pedorthic health.
There are three postures to the human feet
One posture is referred to as supinated. When viewed from the front, these feet look like they’re tipping or “leaning” to the outside. This represents about 5% of the population. The second posture is referred to as a neutral or normal. These feet appear to be evenly balanced to the inside and outside of the feet. This represents about 15% of the population. The third posture is referred to as pronated. These feet appear to collapse inward; they look like flat feet. This represents about 80% of the population. Depending on the degree of pronation, this is the posture that causes the most issues.
When the foot pronates the shaft of the leg rotates inward. That makes the knee, when bent, track inward which later in life leads to problems. This inward rotation of the leg will typically lead to knee, hip and lower back issues later in life. This is a significant contributor to the 700K knee and 500K hip surgeries done every year.
How inserts or orthotics for children fix pronation
The first step in addressing the posture of a pronated foot is to replace the flat foam inserts that came with the shoe with more supportive “off the shelf” inserts. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of inserts that can be purchased but most are too soft and cushy to support the foot. The FootLab recommends Superfeet “blue” inserts because they are firm enough to change the posture of the foot. One important note about sizing these inserts. Do not size them by the foot size printed on the box. They need to be sized by the length of the arch. The child should stand on the appropriate size for their foot then stand on the next size bigger. One of those two sizes will be the best fit. If it’s the larger size use a scissors to trim them down to fit the shoes.
What if off the shelf inserts don’t work?
If foot, knee or hip pain are present after trying a Superfeet insert, the child should have a custom orthotic. For children 16 and under The FootLab orthotics are half price- $199.