Children's foot and ankle conditions

Clubfoot

What clubfoot is, how it is treated with the Ponseti method (casts, tenotomy and brace), how relapses are monitored and what to expect during growth.

From birth

Congenital vertical talus

What congenital vertical talus is, how it is diagnosed and how it is treated with the reverse Ponseti method and minimally invasive surgery.

From birth

Metatarsus adductus

What metatarsus adductus is, how to tell whether the foot is flexible or rigid, and when it needs stretching, corrective casts or Bebax shoes.

Babies

Flexible flatfoot in children

What flexible flatfoot in children is, when to see a specialist, what conservative treatment exists and when surgery (calcaneo-stop or subtalar implant) is considered.

Young children

Adolescent flatfoot and progressive collapsing foot deformity

Rigid or painful flatfoot in adolescents: causes (tarsal coalitions and others), diagnosis and reconstruction with osteotomies and porous titanium wedges.

Adolescence

Tarsal coalition

What a tarsal coalition is, why it causes rigid flatfoot, pain and repeated sprains in adolescence, and how it is diagnosed and treated.

8–16 years

Osteochondral lesions of the ankle

Osteochondral lesions of the talus in children and adolescents: symptoms after a sprain, MRI diagnosis and conservative or arthroscopic treatment.

Older children and adolescents

Cavus foot

Cavus and cavovarus foot in children: why the cause must be investigated, how it is diagnosed (Coleman block test) and treatment options, including hemiepiphysiodesis.

Juvenile hallux valgus (bunion)

Juvenile hallux valgus: causes, when to see a specialist and treatment, from footwear to hemiepiphysiodesis and percutaneous surgery (PECA) in adolescents.

Childhood and adolescence, especially during growth

Hallux rigidus

Hallux rigidus in adolescents: why osteochondral lesions must be looked for, how it is diagnosed and conservative and surgical treatment options.

Mainly adults; uncommon in children and adolescents

Metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia in children and adolescents: causes of pain under the metatarsals, when to see a specialist, tests and conservative or surgical treatment.

Any age; causes vary during growth

Cleft foot

Cleft foot or ectrodactyly of the foot: what it is, how it is assessed and when surgery is considered to improve function and footwear use.

From birth

Congenital hallux varus

Congenital hallux varus: causes (fibrous band, metatarsus adductus, polydactyly), when to see a specialist and how it is corrected with surgery tailored to each child.

From birth

Syndactyly of the toes

Syndactyly of the toes: types (simple and complex), when to see a specialist, when no treatment is needed and what surgery to separate the toes involves.

From birth

Polydactyly and polysyndactyly of the foot

Polydactyly and polysyndactyly of the foot: types, why an X-ray is taken, when surgery is done (usually between one and two years of age) and recovery.

From birth

Curly toes and claw toes

Curly toes and claw toes in children: why they appear, when they improve on their own, when to see a specialist and when minor surgery is considered.

From birth; some become more noticeable in the first years

Sever's disease (heel pain)

Sever's disease (calcaneal apophysitis): why the heel hurts in active children, when to see a specialist, diagnosis and a gradual return to sport.

Roughly between 8 and 14 years of age; earlier in girls than in boys

Iselin's disease

Iselin's disease (apophysitis of the fifth metatarsal): symptoms in active children, diagnosis, non-surgical treatment and return to sport.

Roughly between 8 and 13 years of age (pre-adolescence)

Plantar fasciitis in children and adolescents

Plantar fasciitis in children and adolescents: how to tell it apart from Sever's disease, when to see a specialist and conservative treatment with stretching and physiotherapy.

Adolescents and young athletes; less common in young children

Ankle sprain in children

Ankle sprain in children: how to tell it apart from a bone or growth plate injury, treatment, rehabilitation and recurrent sprains.

Achilles tendinopathy in children and adolescents

Achilles tendinopathy in children and adolescents: symptoms, how it differs from Sever's disease, diagnosis and treatment with exercises and physiotherapy.

Mainly adolescent athletes

Growing pains

Growing pains in children: what they are like, which warning signs mean you should see a doctor, and how to ease night-time episodes of leg pain.

Between 3 and 12 years, although they can appear outside this range

Children who walk with their feet turned in

Why some children walk with their feet turned in (femoral anteversion, tibial torsion, metatarsus adductus), when to see a specialist and why insoles are not needed.

From the first years to about age 8, depending on the cause

Children who walk on tiptoe

Toe walking in children: when it is normal, when it should be assessed, how it is investigated and treatment options (physiotherapy, orthoses, casts or surgery).

Common when first walking; worth assessing if it persists after age 2–3

Foot and ankle in neuromuscular conditions and syndromes

Foot and ankle deformities in neuromuscular conditions and syndromes (Charcot-Marie-Tooth, cerebral palsy, Down, Ehlers-Danlos, Marfan) and how they are treated.

From the first years of life to adolescence, depending on the underlying condition

Foot and ankle in skeletal dysplasias

How skeletal dysplasias affect a child's foot and ankle, which signs to watch for and how conservative or surgical treatment is planned.

From birth to adolescence, depending on the type of dysplasia