It is well known that some concerns with childhood obesity are diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. But what is not being discussed is the potential for obese children to develop a lower limb injury. There is a direct correlation of obese children and increased foot injuries.
A study was done on the subject and the findings were published in April 2010 in Pediatrics. 23,000 children aged 3-14 years old were studied. One is six children in the study was considered obese. The study found that obese children had more foot, leg, and ankle injuries that children of their own age and healthy weight.
Children and adolescents who are obese are damaging their feet and may have problems walking. These children had wider and longer feet than children of average weight, 15mm wider and 18mm longer. They also experience problems balancing, and need to walk at a slower pace.
If a child is already overweight and they happen to for example, have an inflammation of their growth plate, the chances of that child doing any type of physical activity greatly diminishes. In turn, the child becomes more sedentary and has the potential to even more weight. This can become a ‘catch 22'. By having children's feet looked at by a Podiatrist and having children's feet measured for proper footwear will lead to less problems.
Image by Gualsstin. (2013). Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/57826041@N03/8409366544/
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