Pediatric or children’s foot problems are among some of the most common podiatric problems treated at our friendly, award-winning podiatrist Northwest Indiana office (we’ve won “Best Podiatrist” by the Post-Tribune and “Best of the Region” by the NWI Times ten times!). Read patient reviews by clicking here.
Incidentally, Dr. Nirenberg or “Dr. Mike” as patients call him, has helped law enforcement, including the FBI, on homicide cases involving foot-related evidence (such as footprints) and gait analysis. His foot and ankle expertise has been sought by numerous media, including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, WBBM radio and FOX News (click here to read more news).To read Dr. Nirenberg’s CV click here.
Our podiatrists are experts in the treatment of pediatric foot problems (children’s foot problems) and walking related foot problems. The NWI Times newspaper even published Dr. Nirenberg’s recommendations on how to choose the best shoes for your child’s feet (click here).
Some parents (and even some pediatric specialists) believe children’s foot problems will eventually disappear as the child ages. Essentially, they believe children will outgrow a foot problem, and though this may happen, you should not take a chance with your child. If you suspect a pediatric foot problem (children’s foot problem) or walking problem related to your child’s feet, have our podiatrist or a competent podiatrist check your child’s feet promptly.
To learn more about our podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg and podiatrist Dr. Scott Keith’s expertise please click here. To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatry office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Common Pediatric Children’s Foot Problems
Pediatric foot problems or children’s foot problems are referred to by podiatrists as podopediatrics. Foot problems in your child may appear at birth, shortly thereafter, or once your child is walking.
Walking abnormally (or walking in-toed or out-toed) is often the first sign that something is wrong with your child’s foot or their feet. Sometimes the child out-toes or the child in-toes or a child may limp or walk on their toes (the heel down come down to the ground). A child that walks incorrectly or has an abnormal walk may alert you that there could be a foot problem.
Adolescents and teenage children may develop foot or ankle problems and these should not be ignored. It is important to watch for any foot deformities or limping in your adolescent or teenage child, and see our podiatrists or an expert in pediatric podiatry if you notice any foot issues.
To read about our podiatrists backgrounds and experience click here. To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatrist Northwest Indiana office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Pediatric Heel Pain
Heel pain in a child is a common children’s foot problem we see in our podiatry office. One of the first signs of this children’s foot problem that you may notice is your child limping or not wanting to walk on his or her foot. Pediatric heel pain is differs from adult heel pain in that the child’s foot is still growing, and as a result, more flexible.
Your child’s heel pain may be due to an abnormality of the heel bone’s growth area. In these cases, the growth area of the heel bone becomes inflamed, and pain worsens when your child tries to walk or participate in sports. Other heel pain causes include a fracture, bone tumor, bursitis or infection.
If you notice your child limping or complaining of heel or arch pain, you should have the child’s evaluated by one of our podiatrists as soon as possible.
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatrist Northwest Indiana office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
In-toeing or Out-toeing in Children
Another common children’s foot problem we see is In-toeing is often referred to as walking pigeon-toed. Instead of the foot pointed straight-ahead, the foot turns inward. Sometimes in-toeing occurs with only one foot, or it may affect both feet. The child may limp, stumble or even trip and fall when running or walking. In-toeing may be due to a structural issue with the foot itself or related to the leg or hips.
Out-toeing is the reverse of in-toeing, where the child’s foot points outward when they are walking. Again, this problem can affect one or both feet, and it can cause the child to stumble or even fall when running or walking.
Both in-toeing and out-toeing are considered structural problems and when these problems are caught early they are easy to correct. Most parents are able to spot in-toeing or out-toeing in their child, usually shortly after the child begin to walk. If you suspect in-toeing or out-toeing, you should bring your child in for an evaluation with one of our podiatrists.
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning Northwest Indiana podiatrist office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Toe-Walking in Children
Another children’s foot problem our podiatrists see is toddlers or even older children walking more on their toes or the front of the their foot, rather than putting their heel down on the ground. The child who toe-walks may appear to “bounce” as they walk.
This problem may be due to bone abnormality in the child’s foot or a neurologic issue, though more often is due to the tendon at the back of the leg, called the Achilles tendon, being too short.
Most of the time, a tight Achilles tendon can be treated conservatively, though in severe cases our podiatrists may do a small procedure to help lengthen the tendon.
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatry office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Bunions in Children
The list of children’s foot problems we see in our office includes a child with a painful bunion. Some people mistakenly believe bunions is an “old person’s” problem. The truth is many children develop bunions. Often a child develops a bunion secondary to another, more significant, deformity of the foot.
Most of the time, bunions in children can be treated without any type of surgery. It is important for parents to bring in their child as soon as they see a bunion beginning to form. In some cases, surgery may be necessary and our podiatrists may do a small out-patient surgery to correct the child’s bunion (to learn more about our approach to bunion surgery click here).
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatry office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now. If your child needs a podiatrist in Northwest Indiana or a podiatrist in Valparaiso, podiatrist in Highland, or a podiatrist in Dyer, or a podiatrist in La Porte, or in Hammond, podiatrist in Schererville or in Michigan City, Schererville, Valparaiso, podiatrist in Gary, podiatrist in Dyer, Highland, podiatrist in Griffith, Lowell, Hobart, Hammond, Munster or Chesterton, call our podiatry office today at (219)663-2273.
Flatfeet in Children (Over pronation in Children)
Flatfeet is called pes planus is another children’s foot problem we treat in our Northwest Indiana office. Flat feet or low arches is a common foot problem. In basic terms, a flatfoot is a foot that has a very low arch or no height to the arch. A child with a flatfoot may or may not have pain.
Flatfeet are related to the development of all kinds of foot, ankle and leg pain and problems. Your child may have difficulty walking or may complain of “tired” feet. Flatfeet are often due to excess pronation (or hyperpronation). Over pronation may cause the foot to flatten excessively, potentially causing foot pain, heel pain and even ankle, leg, knee or hip pain.
Fortunately, treating flatfeet is easy. Often we make a simple arch support that molds to your child’s foot, called an orthotic. Orthotics are custom-made to your child’s foot and slip in your child’s shoes. Generally, the younger your child is when he or she begins wearing orthotics the better.
Our podiatrist office also offers the HyProCure flatfoot correction surgery procedure (Atlas). To learn more about the HyProCure read more below. The HyProCure surgery can be done for children or adults.
Flatfeet HyProCure Surgery Correction
Dr. Nirenberg also can perform flatfoot surgery to improve the arch when necessary. Among the flatfoot surgery procedures that he uses is the revolutionary HyProCure surgery for flatfoot. HyProCure flatfoot surgery is a quick outpatient surgery for certain flatfeet that restores an arch. HyProCure is not right for everyone, however, when utilized by our Northwest Indiana podiatrist office on our patients that need the HyProCure the results are typically impressive.
HyProCure allows misaligned, flat feet (or excessively pronated or hyperpronated) feet to become more correctly aligned. The HyProCure procedure nudges the bones in the rear part of the foot to become more correctly positioned. The result of HyProCure is a more stable foot that is less prone to pain and problems.
The HyProCure procedure reduces strain on the tendons and ligaments in the foot, particularly reducing plantar fascia strain and tension on the posterior tibial tendon. The HyProCure was invented by Dr. Michael Graham, a podiatrist who is now retired from podiatry practice. Dr. Nirenberg did training for the HyProCure procedure with Dr. Graham at the GraMedica world headquarters.
HyProCure is also indicated for some adults with a flatfoot or excessive pronation. Adults with flatfeet or a flatfoot that may need the HyProCure procedure to be done but would require our doctor to evaluate their foot to ensure that the HyProCure could benefit their foot deformity. To learn more about HyProCure visit the GraMedica’s website by clicking here.
The HyProCure procedure is performed for flatfeet, however, typically one foot is done at a time. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis with patients going home the some day. Not everyone with a flatfoot is a candidate for the HyProCure surgery, so the doctor will evaluate your foot and medical history to determine if the HyProCure surgery is right for you or your child.
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet (or yours!) evaluated by our award-winning Northwest Indiana podiatry office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Ingrown Toenails in Children
Ingrown toenails and toenail problems are common in people of all ages and children are no exception. An ingrown toenail can be painful and cause your child (or you!) to limp or avoid wearing their shoes. Our podiatrists provide treatment of painful ingrown toenails just about every day. In fact, a painful ingrown toenail is one of the most common foot problems our podiatrists treat.
Alleviating an ingrown toenail is easy and fast when it is addressed promptly. It is important that you do not ignore your child’s ingrown toenail as it can become infected and lead to other complications.
To make an appointment to have your child’s foot problems examined by our foot doctors, call our Northwest Indiana podiatrist office today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Plantar Warts
The list of children’s foot problems would not be complete without mentioning plantar warts. Plantar wars of the feet (or the foot) show up on the bottom of a child (or adult’s) foot, though warts can occur anywhere on the foot or even the toes. Warts are often on the toes or the sides of the foot. Dr. Nirenberg has even had children where warts were under toe nails.
Warts are due to a virus and they tend to affect children’s feet more than adults. Plantar warts are easy to catch and they can spread rapidly—they are highly contagious. Worse, plantar warts can be irritating or even painful. Some children or young adults have pain from the plantar wart when walking or standing.
Parents who notice a plantar wart on their child’s foot should see our podiatrists immediately, before the wart spreads. Most of the treatments for plantar warts are easy and painless. In more advanced or resistant cases, our podiatrists may use a laser to destroy the wart or other methods, such as laser destruction of the warts. Laser treatment of warts is typically reserved for the more advanced cases of plantar warts or when their are many plantar warts on the foot or feet.
To make an appointment to have your child’s feet evaluated by our award-winning podiatry office, please call us today at (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
Our podiatrist Northwest Indiana award-winning podiatry experts provide children’s foot treatment to children who are having foot problems or walking problems throughout Northwest Indiana. If you need a podiatrist in Northwest Indiana or a podiatrist in Valparaiso, podiatrist in Highland, podiatrist in La Porte, or in Hammond, podiatrist in Schererville or in Michigan City, Schererville, Valparaiso, Dyer, Portage, podiatrist in Gary, podiatrist in Dyer, Highland, podiatrist in Griffith, Lowell, Wheatfield, DeMotte, Rensselaer, Kouts, Lafayette, Hobart, Hammond, Munster or Chesterton, call us today at (219)663-2273.
Low-Cost, Affordable Cash Price and Payment Plans for Childrens’ Foot Troubles
If you do not have insurance or you are under-insured, or you have a high deductible and wish to pay cash, we will work with you! We understand that not everyone has insurance and we offer an affordable, reduced fee, low-cost cash price (and payment plans) for your child’s foot problem. Whether your child needs custom-made orthotics, ingrown toe nail surgery, wart surgery or other pediatric foot problem, we will work with you to get your child well at an affordable cash price (and affordable, low-cost payment plan)..
Our cash fees for patients who lack adequate insurance coverage for podiatrist treatment is generally very reasonable, as are our payment plans — and we will work to get your child in quickly. If you need a low-cost, affordable cash price for custom foot orthotics, foot surgery, an ingrown toenail surgery, wart surgery or other foot or ankle problem, please call our insurance or billing department today at (219)663-2273.
Our award winning podiatry practice treats foot and ankle problems for children (and adults) throughout Northwest Indiana, including Merrillville, Winfield, Schererville, Valparaiso, Dyer, Portage, Gary, Dyer, Highland, St. John, Griffith, Lowell, Wheatfield, DeMotte, Rensselaer, Cedar Lake, Hobart, Lafayette, Kouts, Hammond, Munster and Chesterton. If you have any questions about your child’s feet or ankles please make an appointment to see one of our physicians or send us an email at info@friendlyfootcare.com.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nirenberg or another podiatrist at Friendly Foot Care, please call (219)663-2273 or make an appointment online by clicking here now.
