Turned in feet

[Sylvana]

My DS who is 12 has feet that are slightly turned in. I took him to the GP who referred him to a specialist. The specialist gave him exercises to do and thats about all. There hasn't been any improvement. She said there is surgery to correct this but only in extreme cases. A friend suggested getting orthotics made to measure in order to correct this. Has anyone any experience of this ? Thanks.

My DD has exactly the same thing - I call it "pigeon-toed" because that's how my mam and nanna referred to it, but the GP called it "in-toeing" They gave DD exercises, walking like a penguin was one, and sitting in a weird cross-legged position and pressing her knees down to the floor was another. They have had no effect though, one of her feet is actually 90 degrees now.
That said, she does have something else wrong with her legs, something to do with the alignment of the tibia and fibula over the bones of her ankles. They gave her wedges for in her shoes, but said there was nothing else they can do until she stops growing, when they can reassess her and possibly operate.
I don't think there's much they can do, they just fob you off with the exercises and hope you'll go away - or that was the impression we got.

Yes, that was my impression too Pom. The Specialist said that it will correct itself to some extent so I hope they are right. The surgery sounds painful though!

I was horrified when they said surgery came over all pfb, except she's my third born but by the time she's finished growing, she'll be old enough that we can ask her opinion and she can decide for herself.

I have this. I look a bit stupid when I walk but it's nothing that would be worth going through surgery to correct. I was given exercises to do as a child and told to stop sitting on my feet and start sitting cross legged instead, but it hasn't made much difference.

You can buy orthotics in boots and on the Internet, I wouldn't worry about made to measure ones until he has finished growing. There is only so much a pai of orthotics can do, and my problem is in my hips so I don't think they would help much. You also have to wear deep shoes or be able to take the insoles out to make them fit well enough, or it coud be counter productive.

Thanks Flossie for that info.

I also have this due to the angle at which my hip joints lie. Orthotics made very little differences and exercises also failed to make any visible improvements when I was young.
We did discuss an operation when I was around the same age as your DS which involved effectively manipulating and pinning my hips into the correct position. We declined.
It has improved a lot with age and whilst it's still noticeable it doesn't affect what I do in the slightest.

Steps charity has loads of great information and support for lower limb disorders of all kinds. Steps-charity.org.uk Very supportive of worried pfb mums. My DS started nursery with both ankles in plaster for his 'issues' and DD1 had a dislocated hip so was in a Pavlik harness. DD2 appears to have escaped my dodgy genetics so far!

I had the surgery (aged 7) - it was painful but my feet were extreme and I couldn't walk far without tripping over (and it was progressive so feet were turning more each year). My parents were told I would be in a wheelchair by age 10 so they had no choice.

If the turn is slight I wouldn't go for the op, but push for proper orthotics. My op at 7 was followed by another to remove plates and then more as an adult - it was not just one.

Thanks everyone for the input, its great to get this info.