Summer is here, and hopefully you and your family can find time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather here in Georgia. We all tend to be a bit more active during the summer months, and that’s especially true for kids that are no longer in school for a while. This increased activity and time outside for children is wonderful, but it’s also a recipe for foot injuries. In today’s blog, we spotlight some of the most common summer foot injuries that we see in children.
Pediatric Summer Foot Injuries
In our experience, here’s a look at some of the most common foot and ankle injuries that we see in children and teens during the summer months.
Ankle Sprains – Ankle sprains occur at all times of year, but they seem to be more common during the warm summer months. Whether your kids are running around the block, partaking in travel baseball or simply playing on the playground, one misstep can lead to an ankle sprain. And while a child’s ankle ligaments tend to be more flexible than an adult’s, unaddressed ankle ligament damage can lead to long term ankle instability. If your child sprains their ankle and is still complaining of discomfort or walking with a limp a day or two later, consider having it looked at by a professional.
Cuts/Lacerations – Summer is also the time when many kids go barefoot or wear pretty minimalist shoes like sandals or Crocs. If they catch their foot on a rock or step on an object like broken glass or a nail, they can suffer a cut or end up with something embedded in their foot. You may be able to treat minor cuts and scrapes on your own, but larger cuts and any embedded objects should be addressed by a team of medical professionals.
Foot Fractures – Again, kids break their feet at all times of year, but summer typically brings out the activities that can lend themselves to foot fractures. Slipping on a wet pool deck, falling off a trampoline or jumping off the monkey bars can all overload developing foot bones and cause a fracture to develop. Nobody wants to spend their summer months in a foot cast, but many kids are forced to do so after breaking a bone in their foot.
Overstress Injuries – The final type of injury that we commonly see in children are overstress and overuse injuries. Kids are active, but if they stress their bodies too regularly without rest, overuse injuries can occur. This is especially true in children that play summer sports 5-6 nights a week or more during the summer. Problems like Achilles Tendonitis, where the tendon becomes inflamed because of overuse, or Sever’s disease, in which the growth plate in the heel becomes swollen and inflamed, can be common in growing children who don’t give their bodies the rest they need. Be mindful if your child begins complaining of persistent foot or ankle pain, because it could be tied to an overstress injury.
Whether your kid is dealing with one of the above injuries or a different issue, we’re here to help. Let Dr. Silverman help your child get back on their feet this summer. For more information, reach out to Dr. Silverman by filling out this contact form.