Sport and Activity

Taking part in sport can improve balance, keep muscles and tendons stretched and create a sense of well-being and achievement as well as being good for general fitness.

Check with your child's physiotherapist or doctor about the suitability of an activity first, however. Warming up exercises are especially important to avoid injury.

Footwear

Access to correctly fitting footwear is very important. Children with clubfoot often have difficulties, particularly if only one foot is affected since this often results in size and width differences between the feet of up to 3 or 4 sizes.

Prescribed footwear

A child with clubfoot does not automatically qualify for prescribed shoes which are only available on medical grounds if clinical needs cannot be met by a standard shoe. Usually ready-made surgical footwear such as Piedro boots are bought and adapted if required. The purchase price of the footwear is paid by the patient/parents and the adaptions are carried out free of charge. The price is about £50 - £100 a pair.

If you feel that your child has medical problems which could be helped by having specially adapted footwear talk to your health professionals about organising a prescription as you will need their approval.

Made to Measure Footwear

Only prescribed when ready-made footwear is unsuitable, they are made on a last made from measurements of an individual foot. The average cost is between £200 and £300 per pair. Steps have a list of orthopaedic footwear manufacturers should you wish to arrange this privately.

Odd-Sized Feet

Feet may differ in length and/or width and may or may not require standard widths/depths of shoe.

If the feet both fit standard ranges:

Half - 1 size difference - fit to the larger foot and opt for a style with a lace or bar which can be adjusted.

Up to 2 sizes different -

';try a half or full-length insole and/or sticking a foam-rubber pad to the under-surface of the tongue in a lace-up shoe to improve the grip over the instep.
';An orthotist may be able to fit adaptions to fill out the shoe for the smaller foot

More than 2 sizes different - shoes of different sizes are needed. Clarks offer an "Odd-Sized" service at an additional cost of 25%. Alternatively you may wish to have shoes made specially. steps can provide a list of shoemakers.

For children with extra-wide feet Clarks and Start-rite both manufacture shoes up to an H fitting.

Wellies

If your child has difficulty getting their feet into wellies ask your orthotist to cut down the back seam, insert a PVC flap and attach Velcro straps to fasten.

08/05/06