A clumsy child is the cutest. There are millions of funny baby videos on the internet, where these little humans fail to find their balance and eventually fall. Slips, trips and falls are pretty common in children. Similarly, most children sustain playground injuries. Some balance issues are normal and your little ones can get better with age. However, if you feel that their clumsiness is exceptional for their age, it’s time to see a paediatric podiatrist. Delaying the appointments might lead to severe foot problems in the future.

So the key to a happy and healthy child is an accurate and timely diagnosis of the condition by a specialist. But the challenge is, how do you find the best kids podiatrist in your locality? How do you find the best one that you and your child can trust? Most parents and their kids have their favourite paediatricians but very few know about good paediatric podiatrists.  In today’s post, we share top tips to pick the best podiatrist for your child. 

What exactly is children’s podiatry?

Podiatry is a branch of medicine that focuses on the proper functioning of lower limbs. These doctors get training for diagnosis and treatment of all sorts of conditions related to feet. When a podiatrist especially focuses on the treatment of kids, they are known as a child podiatrist or paediatric podiatrist. You can book regular appointments with a child podiatrist for timely assessment of structural alignment problems, gait disorders and foot and lower limb pain.

At the age of gross motor skill and gait development, it is important to find out if the child is developing flatfoot or has started pigeon toeing. These conditions increase the risk of falls and injuries; timely guidance from a specialist is the best approach to keep your little ones protected against pain and deformities.

How to find the best podiatrist for your child?

Every parent wants to get the best for their child. Consider the below mentioned suggestions to pick the best podiatrist for your dear child.

1. Referrals: Look around and you will find lots of people from whom you can get referrals. Ask your friends and family if they ever needed a kids’ podiatrist before. The best option is to seek recommendations from your paediatrician. They are probably the first who are aware of your child’s condition and can suggest to you the best paediatricpodiartrist.
2. Reviews: Make good use of technology and hit the search button to find an experienced podiatrist near you. It is easier than ever to find anything and everything on the internet. All you need is to search for podiatric ratings based on your location. Let the search engine access your location, you will get refined search results. Compare different doctors based on their ratings and reviews.  
3. Credentials: When required, a podiatrist can also perform surgery. So it is important to get to know about their certifications, licence, experience and similar things. Make sure to take your child only to a board-certified podiatrist. Any podiatrist clinic that you choose should have dedicated doctors for children only. If you need more guidance about their experience with children, make a call and enquire about everything. In Australia additional training is required to become a podiatric surgeon so it is important to do your homework.
4. Support: Make calls and talk to the support staff to learn more about the clinic/doctor you shortlisted. Trust your instincts and you will easily be able to distinguish between a good option and the best option. The way someone speaks or greets you, tells a lot about their credentials. So a phone call or enquiry is often enough to find a suitable option for your child.
5. Comfort: Another useful way to pick the best podiatrist for your child is to take them to the doctor’s office. Take a small tour of the place and observe if your child is comfortable enough. Observe how your child communicates with the doctor and share the issues. If a child and a doctor are capable of establishing communication, medical intervention becomes easy.
6. Practice standards: In the era of technological advancements, you definitely want to pay for the services that are backed with innovative diagnostic equipment and high-end treatment . Check if the doctor’s standards of practice are the latest or not. In the case of podiatry, the latest solutions include advanced imaging techniques, biomechanical assessment, gait analysis equipment and advanced treatment tools.
7. Peace of mind: The treatment choices that are shared by the doctor tells a lot about their motive. Some podiatrists go straight for the surgical options while some discuss all the possibilities openly with the patients to find the best suited option in terms of time, finance, results and recovery. For instance, if a sports injury can be treated with custom orthotics then you should definitely choose the doctor who suggested alternative treatments rather than surgical options.

Closing thoughts

Let kids be kids, let them explore the world on their own terms. Let them fall and get hurt. They will learn key life lessons from such injuries, but make sure that you are backed up with the best paediatric podiatrist to handle things smoothly. Visit the link given below to book an appointment with a kids podiatrist for growing pains, clawed toes, sprained ankles and a variety of other lower limb problems.

https://www.suncoastpodiatry.com.au/contact-us/