Is Your Child Complaining About Foot and Leg Pain at Night? – The 3 Most Common Reasons!
Is your child complaining about foot and leg pain at night? Does your child wake up every night complaining that his/her feet and legs hurt? While almost 2 out of every 5 children get growing pains, I always emphasize to parents to not just assume that their child’s foot and leg pain is directly related to growing pains.
If your child’s pain disappears in the morning, then it’s highly likely that your child is just going through growing pains. However, if your child’s foot and leg pain persists in the morning or interferes with your child’s ability to play sports or be active, then your child’s pain might be something more than just ‘growing pains”.
Some parents take their children to their pediatrician and they are told not to worry, since the child will eventually grow out of the pain. However, I don’t recommend taking the “wait and see approach” when it comes to treating your child’s foot conditions, since this can lead to your child’s foot condition to worsen.
The pain that your child is experiencing can have causes that are not related to growing pains, and it can be associated with an underlying disease, poorly fitted shoes, or overuse from long walks or high-impact activities.
From my experience fitting thousands of kids, I have become familiar with the best shoe brands for children with foot and leg pain and the best styles among those brands.
Don’t get me wrong, your child’s foot and leg pain at night might be just related to growing pains, but it’s important to make sure that the pain is not related to another condition. Let me show you the 3 most common reasons why your child might be complaining about foot and leg pain at night. I will describe each reason in terms of likelihood.
1️⃣ Unsupportive and Poorly Fitted Shoes
I have seen hundreds of cases of children suffering from foot and leg pain at night due to wearing shoes that were not fitted properly or that didn’t provide the correct amount of support.
Shoes that are too flimsy and unsupportive are a direct cause of foot and leg pain, as they don’t help reduce the impact and shock that the child’s feet take when they come in contact with the ground.
Your kids’ shoes need to provide a substantial outsole but they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time.
Your child’s shoes can have a tremendous impact on improving your child’s walking and overall posture. Let me prove this to you!
Let’s take a look at an image of a child wearing a pair of shoes that are unsupportive and flimsy. Do you notice how the child’s feet are turning inwards?
Now let’s take a look at a picture of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes. Do you notice how much straighter the child’s feet are?
What a difference the correct type of shoes can make!
I created a different article that describes the most supportive shoes for kids with foot pain.
2️⃣ Flat Feet
It is totally normal for children that are 2 years old or younger to have flat feet. Children can develop an arch up to the age of 5, but if your child is complaining about foot or leg pain at night, start by checking whether your child has flat feet or not.
Several children who complained about foot and leg pain at night were dealing with flat feet.
Let me show you the difference between a flat foot and a foot with a regular arch:
Supportive shoes can improve your child’s walking gait and prevent children from putting pressure on parts of their body where they are not supposed to. Let’s take a look at an image of a flat-footed child standing barefoot. Do you notice how the feet are collapsing and turning inwards?
Below is an image of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes. Do you notice how the child’s feet look a lot straighter?
Depending on the degree of your child’s pronation, your child might also need an orthotic, but I always recommend starting with a pair of supportive shoes.
Here is an article that covers the best shoes for children with flat feet.
3️⃣ Low Muscle Tone
This condition is simply a lack of tone in your child’s muscles, which can make your child’s muscles feel too relaxed. Having low muscle tone doesn’t necessarily mean that your child is weak. However, your child has to put extra effort to get the muscles moving properly, which results in your child’s feet and legs getting overworked.
Physical therapy is extremely effective for children with low muscle tone, but the correct pair of shoes can also work wonders in treating this condition.
I have fitted certain shoes that help guide your children’s feet into proper alignment and provide an instant boost to your child’s stability and confidence.
Please remember to not take the “wait and see” approach, since this can lead to your child developing bad habits, poor alignment, and fall further behind.
Don’t forget to provide your child with the correct shoe size. You need to know your child’s exact foot size to provide your child with the correct shoe size.
In that article I help parents determine their child’s exact foot size and whether the child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also will be able to tell you whether your child has a high instep or not.
If you suspect that your child might have a foot condition, please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I will guide you in the right direction:
