From time to time, we will hear that parents are worried about their children’s feet, seven sitting eight climbing nine teeth are our catchy development milestones. So when did the child’s arches develop? Isn’t it true that if there is no arch now, there will be no one in the future? Do I have to wear insoles? In addition to the foot, the shape of a child’s legs will inevitably be noticed by moms and dads. Does the shape of the legs also change with age?

This article will give you a preliminary understanding of the development and changes of children’s lower limbs as they grow older.

When does the arch of the foot begin to appear?

When we are standing or walking, if the arches of the feet are low or even without arches, they are called flat feet. The development of a child’s arch will be about 3 to 6 years old, and the strength of muscles and soft tissues will gradually mature. The arch height will increase accordingly, that is, the arch will grow with age and develop until the child is nine years old. Therefore, when the child is still young, there is no need to worry about whether the child has flat feet.

The following figure shows flat feet, normal arches, and high arches from left to right.

Image source: dreamstime.com

When a child has flat feet, it may cause pain or disability, such as pain on the soles of the feet or easy falls. Flat feet can be divided into structural and functional. Functional flat feet are mainly due to muscles. Bone arrangement and use are not coordinated, so it can be improved by exercise training. However, structural flat feet can be known from the literal meaning, which is a congenital structure problem. At this time, it is necessary to intervene with insoles and other assistive devices to reduce the child’s Obstacles in activities and life.

O-shaped legs and X-shaped legs

According to the child’s normal growth and development, the legs will have so-called O-shaped legs at certain periods, and sometimes X-shaped legs will appear. Asymmetry on the outside.

To put it simply, from birth to about 18 months, most of the children have slightly O-shaped legs, so children who are just starting to learn to walk seem to have their feet separated. In addition to increasing the support bottom surface, the leg shape is also one of them. The reason is that when a child is 18 to 30 months old, we usually see that the child’s legs are straight, but then the legs of a child of 3 to 4 years old will turn into an X shape, and finally, until the age of 8 to 10 At this time, the shape of the legs will approach the straight appearance of an adult.

The figure below shows normal legs, X-shaped legs, and O-shaped legs from left to right.

In this way, you may have a question, when should we pay special attention to the child’s O-shaped leg or X-shaped leg? Special attention should be paid to the following situations:

1. The child’s X-shaped legs only become obvious before or after the age of 7
2. O-shaped legs appeared after 2 years old
3. After 7 years of age, the condition of X-shaped legs is getting worse
4. Asymmetrical legs on both sides
5. Knee or hip joint pain
6. There is a limp condition
7. The height is less than the percentage 5

Usually, as the child’s gait matures, the leg shape will be balanced. However, only a few cases require other medical interventions. For example, if the child has an X-shaped leg for the first time after the age of 6 years old, it needs to be special. Pay attention to whether there are bone-related problems, or whether obesity and other problems cause the child to show X-shaped legs or even abnormal gait. In addition, when the child has O-shaped legs, it is easy to cause the inner eight gait, and when the child has X-shaped legs, sometimes it will be accompanied by functional flat feet. At this time, physical therapy is needed.

Can rehabilitation really save a child’s feet?

Regarding the changes in the structure and joint arrangement of the child’s lower limbs, can we use physical therapy to improve it? As mentioned above, when the child has functional flat feet, or the bones are not arranged ideally due to muscle imbalance, we can assist the child to adjust the leg shape and improve his gait and activity quality through exercise training, etc. The shape of the child’s leg is caused by the congenital structure. What we can do is not only exercise training and maintain the child’s musculoskeletal coordination but also use assistive devices as much as possible to achieve the goal of alleviating discomfort and improving life functions.

Knowing the development and changes of the children’s feet and legs at different ages, we can know that maybe at this moment, the child has not developed enough muscle strength, so the arch of the foot is not mature; the child’s bones are still developing, so The leg shape is not as straightforward as you want. Give your child some time, but if you really need it, you can still seek the assistance of a professional early treatment team!