DD falling over every day - her poor knees are getting scarred. Any experience/advice - possible feet turning in?

[zephyrHellcat]

When dd was little her feet turned in slightly (or one foot I can't remember) I thought it had corrected itself but lately she is falling over constantly when she runs. I've watched her walking from behind and her foot is maybe turning in ever so very slightly but I think that may be what's causing her to trip. Her poor knees are a mess as she keeps re-grazing old grazes and it's getting her down. Her teacher mentioned it to me today after school and said about putting her in tight to save her knees but they'll just end up with holes in the knees.

Has anyone had experience of this? What woud a solution be? What would docs do to correct it, if anything?

I don't have experience as such zephyr but you can get her referred to a podiatrist or orthotist. They will make an insert for her shoe to try to correct the way she throws her foot. I had these as a child.

My dd has a leg length discrepancy and used to fall regularly so I have sympathy with the holey tights.

how old is she ? dd has an inturn which a year ago caused similar problems . We were referred to an orthpaedic specialist by the gp who then assessed her as within normal range, 5-10 o being acceptable apparently. It is a little less pronounced a year on (she's just turned 5) but even so it can cause her to trip. It is worse in wellies and looser fitted shoes and less obvious in well built ones such as Startrite (she also has a narrow foot) so perhaps worth trying different shoe styles to see what suits best. hth

Dd (just turned 6 yo) has one foot that turns in more than the other. When she was 2 and 3 yo she was constantly falling and her Nursery teacher even mentioned it in her end of yr report. We've been through many pairs of tights over the years. She falls over less now and is in fact a really fast runner though she came home with a plaster on her knee today .

She will be 5 xmas day. She used to fall over quite a bit when she was 2/3 when it turned in a bit more noticably. Then she was fine so I assumed it had corrected itself over time. The shoes theory is interesting because she is better in trainers - which are obviously laced up so fit snugly - her school shoes have a slight heel and have stretched so slip a bit. I think we will have to get some shoes which are better made/fitted and which are more 'around' her foot rather than the ones which have a low front and strap across (if that makes sense?) and see if that helps.

How do the shoe inserts work? I mentioned to her teacher today that we may see the school nurse about it and see if we get a referral...

Zephyr, much as I hate to say it (waiting lists are long) try asking your GP for a physio referral. if your daughters feet are only turning in slightly, the problem may be something else such as hypermobility or mild dyspraxia, and a physio could advise you on this. There are not many podiatrists around with experience in children, and their waiting lists tend to be very long. If you get to see a physio, they can refer you on to podiatry if they think that would help.

On the whole children with turning in feet are usually faster runners than those with turning out feet (like me!) but any increase of angle above the norm can cause tripping if accompanied by slightly low muscle tone or hypermobility.

Going for well fitting shoes is a good idea, try to get some that are not heeled and have a supportive strap across or velcro.

Or, if she is not quite 5, she might grow out of it. Is she quite fit - does she like going for walks, ride a bike etc? If not try upping her exercise levels a bit but walking rather than running so she is less likely to trip.

my dd has orthotic inserts/insoles, they just slot inside the shoe. Depending on the build up of the insert/insole, you should be able to put them into any shoe, although summer and sandals can be a bit of a nightmare I find (tend to end up with base ball boots). Dd's inserts have quite a high build up on the heel, so she must always have boots with ankle support. Her latest pair are Ricola, we were a bit limited with choice with back to school shoes (also 'cos due to dd medical cond she is 4 years old and a size 12 shoe)but there should be more ankle boot type things around now/soon. Kickers boots are quite cute and would provide lots of support too.
Having support round the ankle does seem to make a big difference.
The inserts are made by taking a mould of the foot, dd has had a mould out of plaster of paris type strips and also by having various things that she has had to stand in to take an impression, all painless though.
You can get hard plastic inserts (which don't suit everyone) and softer (more expensive ones). It may be worth querying if you get offered any.
Another tip given to me, was to take photos of dd's feet, that way you can monitor any changes yourself. I think a good podiatrist would do this anyway, but you can't take it as a given. You may have to wait some time for an appointment, we had to before we were in the system.
Finally I do remmeber being told something about the way children's hips gradually twist, so they are not as pigeon toe'd - I think around 5 is when this happens, so we were told to expect more scuffed knees around this time. Good luck and if you feel it is a genuine concern be prepared to get pushy!!

I hope you can excuse my ignorance what are hypermobility and dyspraxia? (I've seen it mentioned a lot on MN and have always wondered) I think a definate trip to GP or school nurse is on the cards as I don't want it to get to a stage where it is harder to 'fix'. Poor DD is getting really down about it as she has to try and be careful as opposed to runnng around like an idiot - which is pretty much what she wants to do all the time!!

Hi there. My ds feet were turned in too. We took him to specialist as he to used to fall over all the time. The doctor showed us how his hip was quite loose and the ligaments were very flexible butmorein one leg than the other. We were very worried but doctor advised us that most footballers also had this.He does seem bit better now he is older though.

oops meant ricosta not ricola!

Hypermobilty is when the joints are bendier than normal. Flexible joints + strong muscles and good motor control = child good at dance, gymnastics, athletics etc. Add poor motor control, general fitness, and the result is poor coordination.

Dyspraxia (or developmental coordination disorder) is a condition where children (and sometimes adults) appear clumsier than usual, but this can be for a number of reasons, which is why a paediatric professional needs to assess.

You could also try taking her to a cranial osteopath. Ds had many similar issues and we found it extremely helpful to use osteopathy-still do and he's now 3. hth

She is very fit/into excercise. She walks everywhere and can go for miles! Her running is not so brill though, bless her.

Thank you for all this excellent advice, it's really encouraging to hear that there are ways out of it whether it be growing past it or getting physio/gp help. I was beginning to worry that it might be past the 'help' stage as I remember reading a couple of years back that things like this need correcting asap - although I guess that wasn't entirely right.

Thanks fusby - she is a bit clumsy. DP has wondered a few times if she had been dyslexic, as he is, apparently that can make you clumsy/unbalanced as well.

Zephyr, it's more that dyspraxia has a lot of overlap with other spcific learning difficulties like dyslexia, ADHD, ADD etc. There can be a tendency for them to run in the family. She doesn't sound too bad, if it was severe her school or even preschool would have raised alarm bells earlier. But best to get it checked out - you havent missed the boat as far as treatment and management goes, but you dont want her to lose confidence because of the falling. Good luck!