When to consider shoe inserts

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When to consider shoe inserts

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At what age should my child be considered for orthotics or shoe inserts? Orthotics are like glasses for the feet. They change the way the feet see the ground, how they interact with the ground. There are different types of glasses, there are reading glasses and there are prescription lenses. Basically, when you watch a child that's beginning to walk, when they hit about the age of two, and they are walking around, that's when you would watch them and see. Is their heel relatively in line with their leg, is their leg in line with their body, and how they do they interact with the ground? Are they falling in or falling over or tripping all over themselves. If, at any point, you see a child falling over and they are not typically clumsy, but are not walking as ideally as you would think; that's about the age, two to four, that you should have them checked out. The earlier you get them checked out, the earlier you correct the problem, the better long-term effect because you prevent a lot of breakdown in the foot and the rest of the body. Two to four is an ideal age to have them evaluated, especially if there is any family history of foot problems.

Learn about: When to consider shoe inserts from Noah Blumofe, DPM,...

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Noah Blumofe, DPM

Podiatrist

Dr. Blumofe was born and raised in Skokie, Illinois. Later he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his undergraduate studies in 1996, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. He then attended Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago, where he received a second Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences in 1998, and his Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine in 2001. Dr. Blumofe's residency was completed at the St. John Detroit Riverview Medical Center in Michigan, which is affiliated with the Kirkside Osteopathic Medical School. The following year he continued his post-graduate training with a two-year surgical fellowship in Long Beach, Calif. His main responsibilities included patient care, diabetic foot and wound care and surgical procedures of the foot and ankle, as well as teaching podiatric residents.

Dr. Blumofe's specialties include diabetic wound care, podiatric medicine, neuropathy, limb salvage, cosmetic foot surgery and sports medicine. He attributes his passion for helping diabetics regain and maintain a more normal life to the experience he had in seeing his mother and his grandfather deal with the realities of the condition. Often, Dr. Blumofe is known to say to his patients that "diabetes is NOT a disease, it is a lifestyle change".

When Dr Blumofe is not working (all four hours of the day that remain), he spends time helping his wife, Sandy, raise their three children Abby, Joey, and Rachel. Dr Blumofe holds a 1st degree Black Belt (ShoDan) in the Jinenkan Martial Arts (though has since retired!)

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Transcription: 
At what age should my child be considered for orthotics or shoe inserts? Orthotics are like glasses for the feet. They change the way the feet see the ground, how they interact with the ground. There are different types of glasses, there are reading glasses and there are prescription lenses. Basically, when you watch a child that's beginning to walk, when they hit about the age of two, and they are walking around, that's when you would watch them and see. Is their heel relatively in line with their leg, is their leg in line with their body, and how they do they interact with the ground? Are they falling in or falling over or tripping all over themselves. If, at any point, you see a child falling over and they are not typically clumsy, but are not walking as ideally as you would think; that's about the age, two to four, that you should have them checked out. The earlier you get them checked out, the earlier you correct the problem, the better long-term effect because you prevent a lot of breakdown in the foot and the rest of the body. Two to four is an ideal age to have them evaluated, especially if there is any family history of foot problems.