Indianapolis' Children's Foot Care Expert - Jeffrie C. Leibovitz, DPM

Compassionate, Comprehensive Child Foot Care

Examining kids’ feet and providing gentle, comprehensive care to keep them healthy and active is an important part of what we do. Diagnosing and treating issues is not only necessary for them right now:

It can also reduce or prevent problems for your child later in life.

After all, many foot disorders (bunions, hammertoes, gait problems, etc.) and secondary complications (including knee, hip, and back pain) adults experience come from inherited, flawed foot mechanics that could have been addressed more easily earlier in life.

And the ideal time to head off these issues is when a child’s feet are still developing. This allows us to make important adjustments (usually without surgery).

Give your child the best chance for a happy, healthy life – both now and in the future:

See us today if your son or daughter needs professional foot care. Simply contact us online or call (317) 545-0505 to request an appointment with our Indianapolis podiatrist office.

Our pediatric foot care philosophy

The main pillars of our child foot care philosophy include:

  • Providing gentle techniques designed to keep your child as active and comfortable as possible, while keeping an eye toward permanent cures and preventions (rather than only temporary symptom relief).
  • Taking the time to fully explain and educate you on your child’s condition. We always listen patiently, answer your questions, and discuss all options, with you — your child’s caregiver — having the final say.
  • Communicating with your child’s general pediatrician so they are informed of all health concerns and treatment results (so they stay updated and remain involved).

What are some common problems children have with their feet and ankles?

There are many potential foot and ankle conditions and injuries children can sustain or develop. Some of the more common ones include:

  • Pediatric flatfoot. Correcting flat feet is much easier (and painless) if you do it at an early age rather than addressing the problem in adulthood. Foot bones continue to develop until around age 13 for girls and 14 for boys, and that allows potential to control bone growth and development. The best tool for this is a pair of custom orthotics. Naturally, the earlier treatment is started, the more opportunity we have to ensure proper foot development – and the more opportunities your child will have to stay active and keep playing favorite sports!
  • Plantar warts. About 90% of cases of warts happen to patients between the ages of 8-21. If your child has a plantar wart, it can be the source of pain and discomfort. While you can find wart removal products at the store, plantar warts are best handled by a podiatrist. These warts are often buried underneath callused skin (and using “home surgery” to try reaching them can cause even bigger problems). Dr. Leibovitz offers better, more effective treatment options.
  • Heel pain. This is a highly common problem for people of all ages. For kids, the root cause is usually Sever’s disease (an inflamed growth center in the heel). Treatment for Sever’s is centered on changing the foot mechanics so your child can stay active until he or she outgrows the condition by around age 14. (Relief is often achieved very quickly – usually in just a week or two.)
  • Sports injuries. Sure, this is also a problem people experience at all stages of life. That said, children are/should be especially active, and sports do have inherent injury risk. If your son or daughter sprains an ankle, suffers from shin splints, breaks a foot bone, or has any other foot or ankle sports injury, come see us for professional treatment.

This list is not exhaustive by any means. Feet are complicated structures – and growth and development add additional considerations. (Basically, there’s a lot that can happen down there.)

If there is anything out of the ordinary or causing your child foot pain and/or difficulty, please let us help. Don’t hesitate to give us a call, even if you just have questions!

How can you recognize child foot problems?

Ideally, your child will tell you if he or she is having foot pain or difficulty.

Unfortunately, children do not always communicate well and, in many cases they just withdraw from activity (even favorite sports) long before significant discomfort sets in.

That means you need to watch carefully for signs something may be amiss, such as:

  • Withdrawal from active play and sports
  • Picking weeds while the soccer scrum moves down the field, sitting in the outfield (etc.)
  • Frequent requests to be carried (especially if your child is a teen…)
  • Leg cramps at night (since biomechanical issues cause muscles to work harder and fatigue sooner)

If your son or daughter is exhibiting any of those signs – or, even better, they actually tell you about a foot or ankle problem – we are happy to help.

When you schedule an appointment with us, your child is treated in a welcoming, compassionate, and supportive environment.

And you can rest assured knowing care is being provided by a foot doctor who has been treating patients of all ages from our Indianapolis community for more than thirty years!

See what patients have to say about Dr. Leibovitz and our practice!

Does your son or daughter have foot or ankle pain? We can help!

Ready to get your child the professional foot care they need? Contact us today!

Kids Playing Soccer