Protect Your Kids’ Bare Feet This Summer Kids, summer and bare feet—can’t have one without the others. While your kids may love to go barefoot during the summer, doing so may expose their feet to numerous potential injuries that can ruin the rest of the season for them. What lies hidden in the grass, dirt or sand can definitely wreak havoc on bare feet. From nails, shards of glass, slivers of wood, pieces of seashell at the beach, thorns from trees and plants or sometimes discarded toothpicks, each can puncture the skin of the foot and cause serious injury. Even after the object is completely out of the foot, any dirt or bacteria pushed into the wound from the puncture can lead to an infection, painful scarring or even a cyst. Any puncture wounds should be treated promptly in our office within 24 hours. Besides the hidden dangers, “everyday kid injuries” can also interrupt a summer break. Protect your kids’ feet from traumatic injuries, such as bicycle injuries and lawn mower accidents, by making sure they wear sturdy shoes while riding a bike or when cutting the grass. Don’t take sunburn on the feet lightly. Protect your kids’ feet from the sun’s harmful rays by applying sunscreen to the tops and bottoms of their feet. Feet, like shoulders, burn faster than the rest of the body since they are more perpendicular to the sun’s rays. Not only is sunburn of the feet painful, it can also cause skin cancers that often go unnoticed until they become very serious. info provided by ACFAS
Information provided by The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons