Prevention of flatfoot in preschool children

Flat feet - not a harmless disease. Violation of the anatomy of the foot can lead to serious problems with the spine, nervous system, musculoskeletal system. The foot of the child grows and forms up to 7-8 years. Only in adolescence can one say with certainty whether a child has flat feet.

From birth, a flat foot is observed in each infant. Prevention of flatfoot is especially important in the preschool years when there is intense growth. If at this time there are no total errors, the probability of flatfoot development will be minimal.

The height of the arch of the human foot is a genetically inherited feature. What it will be depends not only on how the parents warned of flat feet, but also on what foot the baby inherited from mom and dad. However, this does not mean that prevention is not needed.

Prevention of flat foot should be dealt with since the birth of the child. For a start, it is important to prevent rickets, which contributes to the disease of the feet. To do this, follow the recommendations of the pediatrician, give the child vitamin D, ensure that the infant is adequately exposed to fresh air and sunlight.

The orthopedic surgeon needs to show the baby in six months and a year. It is clear that he will not be able to say whether the baby has a tendency to flatfoot, but he will be able to evaluate the development of the baby and give recommendations on preventing the development of problems with the feet.

Prevention is entirely on the shoulders of parents. There are no special vaccinations for this ailment, no “magic” pills, which would help prevent a violation. There is only normal lifestyle, active movement, right attitude and understanding of moms and dads the essence of flatfoot and the mechanisms of its development.

The most crucial period is the preschool age from 3 to 6-7 years. If during this period, associated with intensive growth of bones, muscles, tendons, joints, to create the right conditions for the child, then development will be normal and flat-footedness will most likely not occur or it will be easy to correct.

The main directions in which parents are to move are as follows:

• shoe selection;
• active physical exercises and special gymnastics;
• proper nutrition;
• foot massage

The probability of flatfoot development in a child whose parents insist that the baby wear slippers or other shoes at home is higher than that of a child who runs barefoot from the first steps around the house. This is due to the natural feature of this part of the body.

None of the children is born in shoes, respectively, slippers, sandals and shoes - the requirement of social norms and civilization, and not nature. The feet of the child in the shoes need only for protection - from water, dirt, frost, uneven surfaces.

Since the kid without shoes neither in the kindergarten, nor for a walk, parents should carefully study the question of the rules for choosing children's shoes.

The memo looks like this:

• After 1 year Buy your child high shoes that will fix the foot when learning to walk. The backdrop can be soft, it does not play a big role.The sole does not have to be hard, but it must be well absorbed. The main function of the first shoe is the gentle support of the ankle at the first timid steps.
• After 2-3 years, When a child starts to walk confidently, the height of the shoes is not a prerequisite for choosing the right pair. Shoes or sandals can be any, as long as the child is comfortable in them.

• In children of preschool age the foot grows quickly and partly understand the desire of parents to buy a pair of growth. This is not necessary. Footwear that is large slows the gait of a child, forces him to make an effort when rolling the foot in step, the gait may become shuffling.
• Shoes should not be small.
• Orthopedic shoes are needed for treatment diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and not for prevention. If the child does not have an established diagnosis and recommendations from the doctor to wear orthopedic couples, heavy and expensive medical shoes are not required.

• It is desirable that children's pair was equipped with a small heel, this allows the muscles of the foot to grow faster. A cushioned insole instep supports the inside of the foot, it is also important for the development of healthy legs.
• In the shoes in which the baby walks during the day in the kindergarten group, you can attach special insoles Bykov. They should be worn about 6 hours a day. The time that the baby spends in the kindergarten roughly corresponds to this requirement.

After 1 year, you can enter the child a set of exercises on a special massage mat-applicator

You can buy a one-piece massage mat, and you can choose rug puzzle, which will be for the child and a fun game, and effective prevention of foot pathology. Rugs are equipped with a special texture - irregularities of the type "shells", "Pebbles", "Thorns" and so on. Walking and exercising on squares with different surface textures stimulates various active points of the feet.

Prophylactic mats are softer than flatfoot mats. They are made of elastic materials, walking on them does not deliver pronounced discomfort.

If there is no rug, and there are no funds for its acquisition either, the floor applicator can be made to the child with your own hands. Buttons, shells, large beans, and chestnut fruits are suitable for this. On the applicator of their own making or factory production, the child with the mother can practice:

• walking on the heels;
• walking on the socks;
• moving on the outer edges of the feet;
• rolls from the outer edge to the inside of the foot;
• footsteps with fingers tucked inward.

Sitting in a chair, a child can make circular movements with his feet, pressing his toes, and also pulling up his socks to and from himself. Standing useful rises on the socks, squats, in which the heels do not come off the floor.

These simple exercises can be incorporated into daily gymnastics for preschoolers. In most kindergartens, exercises for the prevention of flat feet are included in the list of exercises for morning exercises and physical training minutes.

Effective exercises for the prevention of flatfoot are shown in the following video.

Proper nutrition is of paramount importance, because overweight child only contributes to improper formation of the feet, because the load on the lower limbs increases significantly. This does not mean that the child should be put on a strict diet and underfed. Just in the diet of the baby should be a sufficient amount of protein. They are involved in the formation of tissues. Therefore, the diet of the child must include dairy products, lean fish and meat.

Making the child eat jelly is not easy. All mothers know about it. But to teach a child to do this is possible, especially since brawn is excellent food for the prevention of problems with the musculoskeletal system, with joints and cartilage tissue.

The child should eat cereals, fruits and fresh vegetables, butter and vegetable oil, herbs, eggs. Raw food should be consumed 2-3 times more than the products that have been heat treated.

Do not enter the cow and goat milk in its pure form in the diet of children under one year. Moreover, it is not necessary to substitute breast milk or a mixture of cow whole milk. The ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the body when taking this product changes, a deficiency of vitamin D is created, and rickets can occur, which also affects the subsequent development of flatfoot.

Parents should be more serious about the requirement to provide the child with essential vitamins and minerals. Indeed, an excess or lack of nutrients and minerals cause not only problems with the musculoskeletal system, but also more serious pathologies that can be deadly.

With calcium deficiency - you need to give the child calcium supplements with the permission of the doctor and in the dosage recommended by him.

In general vitamin deficiency - vitamin complexes that are designed specifically for children of a certain age, taking into account the daily needs of their organisms in a particular substance.

To prevent flat feet will help foot massage, which can be mastered by any mother and which can be easily and easily done at home. For babies up to a year, during the fortifying evening massage, a few minutes should be given to the feet, smoothing them with the thumbs in the direction from the heels to the fingers.

Preventive foot massage for preschool children is carried out 1-2 times a week, you can do it in a game form. The child is placed in the supine position. First, stroke the hips and legs, then move to the circular movements of these parts of the limbs.

The effect is then enhanced and kneading of the legs and feet is added. It is important that the child does not experience pain. The same methods are repeated, turning the child on his stomach and placing a small cushion (rolled towel or small pad) under the knees.

When exposed to the foot itself, special attention should be paid to the side ribs - the inner and outer surface, the fold area of ​​the fingers. Massage begins with 3-4 minutes and gradually bring the procedure up to 15 minutes. After the massage, it is useful to make a contrast foot strengthening bath - first lower the feet in warm water and then pour cold water into it.

To learn how to massage a child for the prevention of flatfoot, see the following video of Alena Grozovskaya.