A majority of kids wear shoes that are too small which put them at risk for developing serious foot deformities such as bunions, says a study by Swiss researchers presented to a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
The study, based on measurements of the feet of nearly 250 boys and girls from age 5 to age 10 and their indoor and outdoor footwear, found that most of the children tested were wearing the wrong size shoes:
"The most striking finding in our study was that more than 90 percent of both outdoor and indoor shoes/slippers worn by the children were too small," says Norman Espinosa, M.D, an orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Zürich Balgrist in Switzerland. "Interestingly, the shoe sizes given by the manufacturers almost never matched with the true sizes measured by our group. We truly did not expect such a large percentage of incorrectly declared shoe sizes," he said.
Additionally, Dr. Espinosa notes, the study found a higher prevalence among the children studied of a foot deformity called hallux valgus (which occurs when the big toe begins to angle sideways toward the second toe, causing a swollen and painful bump or bunion on the side of the foot just below the big toe) than reported in previous studies. Hallux valgus angles are considered normal when equal to or less than 15 degrees; the results showed that 3.3 percent of the children's feet had an angle of more than 15 degrees, while 26.1 percent had an angle of 10 degrees to 15 degrees.
The study results, Dr. Espinosa said, should lead to an increased "focus on parental education to help prevent early onset of juvenile foot deformity."
In particular, he recommends that parents:
Some of the telltale signs that shoes are too small and no longer fit, says Dr. Espinoza, are the following:
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/532
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/guide-to-buying-athletic-shoes-for-children
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/replacingon-athletic-shoes-even-if-no-signs-excessive-wear
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/sports/soccer/equipment/replacing-athletic-shoes-depends-childs-growth-shoe-wear
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/youth-sports-parenting-basics/equipment/how-to-tell-if-your-childs-shoes-are-wo