Orthotics to Help Strengthen and Straighten Kids’ Ankles – The Best Alternative to Custom Orthotics!
Do you have a child who has been diagnosed with weak ankles and complains about heel pain? There is a particular orthotic that has proven to be the most effective one when it comes to strengthening and straightening kids’ ankles. This orthotic will also help improve your child’s overall posture by preventing your kids’ feet from collapsing and turning inwards, as long as it’s fitted inside the correct pair of shoes.
Examples of Children with Misaligned Heels and Weak Ankles
Most parents assume that overpronation occurs from having flat feet, but overpronation can also occur from having misaligned heels and ankles. Below are some examples of children with weak ankles:
What a Difference the Correct Type of Orthotics Can Make!
Let’s take a look at a picture of a child with misaligned heels and weak ankles standing barefoot and then standing on a pair of the orthotics that I recommend. Do you notice how the child’s feet are collapsing and turning inwards?
Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child standing in a pair of the orthotics that I recommend. Do you notice how straighter the feet look?
The main difference between being flat-footed and having misaligned heels and ankles is that an orthotic won’t mold your child’s arch, but an orthotic will be able to straighten and strengthen your kids’ ankles.
What Makes the Orthotic I Recommend Effective for Misaligned Heels and Weak Ankles?
1️⃣ 30mm heel cup helps control heel alignment, lower leg alignment, and supports the arch.
2️⃣ Medial and lateral flanges help keep the foot aligned in the orthotic.
3️⃣ Metatarsal support to help relieve and prevent ball of the foot pain.
The orthotic that I recommend is designed to correct the misalignment caused by flat feet and rolled ankles. Regular insoles are specifically designed to provide cushioning and shock absorption, but they won’t help prevent and correct your child’s rolled ankles.
Best Orthotics to Help Strengthen and Straighten Kids’ Ankles: littleSTEPS
1. Deep heel cup that helps control the alignment of the heel and lower leg.
2. Medial and lateral flanges to help keep the foot aligned over the orthotic.
3. It’s not necessary to remove the original insoles of the shoes when fitting this orthotic.
You Must Enter a Referral Code to Order this Orthotic
To place an order for littleSTEPS® Orthotics, you must submit a Referral Code in the Discount Window during the ordering process: JVFCS100121
Do You Need to Remove the Original Insoles of Your Kids’ Shoes?
No, you won’t have to remove the original insoles of your child’s shoes before placing this orthotic inside the shoes.
What Orthotic Size Should You Order?
Take a look at the chart below to figure out what size to order based on your child’s shoe size:
Please note that custom orthotics can range anywhere from $250 to $500. Even families with good insurance have reported that custom orthotics are usually not covered.
One common complaint parents have about this orthotic style is how it slides forward inside certain shoes. This is the reason why I recommend shoes with laces over velcro closure, especially when the child needs an orthotic to be fitted inside the shoes.
Orthotics will only work in certain types of shoes, that is the reason why I also provide a selection of the best shoes for orthotics.
Best Shoes for Orthotics – Extra Deep, Rounder Toe-Boxes and Supportive!
Orthotics make a tremendous difference in the way that your child walks and runs, as long as the orthotics are fitted properly inside your kids’ shoes. The shoes and the orthotics work together to prevent and help treat your child’s foot conditions. This means that if you provide your child with a pair of orthotics that provide good support but the shoes are too flimsy and unsupportive, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the orthotics have to offer and vice versa.
Orthotics take up a lot of space inside the shoes, which means that sometimes you might have to provide your child with a pair of wider shoes to accommodate the orthotics inside the shoes. In addition to being supportive, these are two key features that the shoes must provide to be able to accommodate the orthotics:
1️⃣ Extra Depth: This feature allows the orthotics to sit deeply inside your kids’ shoes, which helps prevent your kids from getting the impression that their feet are coming out of the shoes. Do you notice how the orthotic is sitting much deeper in the shoe on the right image compared to the shoe in the left image?
2️⃣ Round Toe-Boxes: This feature helps prevent the orthotic from poking a hole in the front part of the shoes.
Best Shoes for Orthotics – Extra Deep and Supportive
I created a different resource that has a list of deep and supportive shoes for kids who wear orthotics.
How to Tie Shoes with Orthotics
I strongly suggest that you apply this shoe lacing technique to prevent heel slippage and allow your child to get the full benefits of the orthotics.
Looking for Other Shoe Recommendations?
If you are unsure about which specific shoe might work best for your child’s orthotics or if you rather get a specific shoe recommendation based on the orthotics that your child wears you can contact me directly via email:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
When children experience foot or leg pain, most parents make the common mistake of not addressing the issue and they have their children tested for several other conditions that are unrelated to the shoes that they are wearing. Before you start having your children tested for other conditions, start by taking a look at their feet and make sure that they are wearing supportive shoes.
Do you have a recommendation for sandals with this same support?
Hi Debby,
The Keen Newport is usually my go-to sandal for kids with ankle pain. The sandal comes with a substantial outsole and targeted support right below the heel. It really depends on the degree of your child’s foot condition but it’s worth trying.