Supporting Steady Steps and Optimising Movement

Children with genetic conditions such as arthrogryposis, Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophies and Chromosomal abnormalities can often require complex solutions to best support growing feet. Providing stability in a child’s foot can support growth and development, and support them to achieve developemental milestones.

Children who are growing can sometimes experience pain related to overuse. It’s common to see in the legs and often referred to as ‘Growing Pain.’ We work with families to reduce discomfort and manage activity levels.

Children with Neurological conditions need support to develop a stable foot position. Often, we see children recommended devices such as Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) as a default without fully assessing their lower limb biomechanics to determine if this is the best solution for the individuals foot. Children with complex needs require individualised and multi-disciplinary treatment.

Toe-Walking is when children primarily walk on their toes. When this becomes a preference, it can be challenging for children to change their walking pattern and often we see muscle tightness develop. We work with Toe-Walkers to help them acheive more consistent heel contact when walking or running.

Children with hypermobility have more movement than their peers, and therefore require more muscle strength and support to control their increased movement. Appropriate footwear and orthotic devices can be essential to support children with hypermobility to move with ease.

Bowlegs occur in the lower limbs of some children, usually under 2 years of age, whereas knock-knees is a condition that usually affects older children. These orthopaedic conditions can impact the appearance of children’s gait and at times can impact movement and biomechanical loading through their lower limbs.

Children with low tone often require additional footwear and orthotic advice to help maintain their arch and keep their heel in a neutral position. Children with hypotonia are also more likely to experience challenges with proprioception and muscle strengthening which can benefit greatly from therapeutic input.

Flat feet are common in children under 6 years old. If it is impacting their movement, contributing to pain of if there is associated fatigue we can assess to see if an orthotic devices is required to support their movement. Children with more of a pronated foot position can also present as having a ‘Flat Foot’ which is often caused by muscle tightness and weakness which should be addressed.

Children who are recovering from an injury such as a fracture, sprain or growth related condition can benefit from specific footwear and rehabilitation to support them to get back to day to day activities and sport.

Chronic pain in children is increasing and requires a multi-disciplinary approach to best manage. We work with children who have been experiencing pain or discomfort that does not resolve with standard physiotherapy.

Inefficient or clumsy walking and running patterns can lead to pain or fatigue. We analyse how children move and provide intervention to support children to develop efficient movement patterns.

If your child is tripping over or has challenges with movement due to in-toeing or out-toeing, we can assess their movement and determine a treatment plan.