As the summer wanes and the school year approaches, it's time to start thinking about your child's footwear for fall sports. A quick look in the closet to see what's already there won't do, because it's very likely that your child's feet have changed since your last purchase.
Typically, a child's feet continue to grow and develop until the age of 18 to 20, at which time ossification-the formation of the bones of the feet-is complete. From ages one through five, there is an average increase of ½ size approximately every three to four months. The peak increase in foot growth takes place around ages 10 to 11. By age 12, most children have reached about 90% of their adult shoe size, which means their feet will grow an average of ½ size every 2 years until about age 18. (Learn more about how children's feet grow here [1]).
The growth patterns described above mean that your child's feet should be measured for every new shoe purchase. For optimal fit and protection, the Institute for Preventive Foot Health (IPFH) [2] recommends that your child wear the socks and any necessary inserts or orthotics while trying on new shoes that they will wear with the shoes. This process helps ensure that all the components work together as a system. IPFH calls the process the "integrated approach" [3] to selecting and fitting footwear. The approach involves several steps outlined below:
The primary fall sports - soccer, football and field hockey - require cleated shoes for practice and games. Cleated shoes are designed more for performance than comfort. Insoles tend to be very thin and the overall design emphasizes stability while accommodating forward, backward and lateral movements, rapid changes of direction and relatively short sprints. These shoes permit minimal movement of the feet inside the shoes, and provide minimal protection against pressure [5], shear [6], and impact [7], the three primary forces that can cause foot injuries and less serious foot conditions such as blisters, calluses and other skin damage.
Here are a few tips for protecting your child's feet:
For additional preventive foot health information, including a printable fitting protocol, click here [10] > and for a video about the integrated approach, click here [11].
Source: Institute for Preventive Foot Health [2]
Photos courtesy of IPFH
Posted August 10, 2015
Links:
[1] http://www.ipfh.org/foot-care-essentials/childrens-feet-how-they-grow
[2] http://www.ipfh.org/
[3] http://www.ipfh.org/foot-care-essentials/integrated-approach-selecting-padded-socks-and-shoes-that-fit
[4] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/glossary-of-foot-terms/clinically-tested-padded-sock
[5] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/glossary-of-foot-terms/pressure
[6] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/glossary-of-foot-terms/shear
[7] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/glossary-of-foot-terms/impact
[8] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/foot-health-professionals/
[9] http://www.ipfh.org/foot-care-essentials/how-to-help-prevent-skin-soft-tissue-injuries-to-the-feet
[10] http://www.ipfh.org/images/general/IPFH_Integrated_Approach_and_Professional_Fitting_Protocol_V5_3_25_14.pdf
[11] http://www.ipfh.org/resources/educational-video-gallery/integrated-approach-to-foot-protection
[12] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/muscles-joints-bones/ankle-foot/most-kids-wearing-wrong-size-shoes-at-risk-for-foot-de
[13] https://momsteam.com/sports/soccer/equipment/replacing-athletic-shoes-depends-childs-growth-shoe-wear
[14] https://momsteam.com/successful-parenting/youth-sports-parenting-basics/equipment/how-to-tell-if-your-childs-shoes-are-wo