\n<\/p>\n
Parents should care for their children\u2019s feet in the same way as their eyes and teeth, according to footwear specialists who say they are seeing more young people with painful conditions such as bunions.<\/p>\n
Bunions are bony lumps on the side of the foot. People can be genetically pre-disposed but ill-fitting shoes are seen as an aggravating factor.<\/p>\n
Nadia Arden-Scott, a co-founder of Footwear Hub, said: \u201cParents have been led to believe that fitting shoes is simple and can be done at home, when the reality is that do-it-yourself shoe fitting is potentially causing long-term damage to their child\u2019s feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Data from the property analysts Green Street shows that more than 1,000 shoe shops have closed in Great Britain since 2020. With big names reducing their store numbers and independents closing, many parents are now ordering for their offspring online.<\/p>\n
Research by Footwear Hub found some parents had to drive up to 50 miles to use a fitting service.<\/p>\n
The not-for-profit organisation, formed by 40 specialist shops, has launched the \u201cfit well, grow well\u201d campaign to try to combat a \u201cdecline in children\u2019s foot health\u201d. Its website offers free advice and links to services around the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want parents to value their children\u2019s feet the way they value their teeth and eyes,\u201d said Arden-Scott, who runs a children\u2019s shoe shop in Farnborough called ShuZu. \u201cThey would not skip a dentist appointment because they thought they could check their own child\u2019s teeth at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no scientific data to show that poor footwear choices in children directly cause disfigurement, but podiatrists say ill-fitting shoes can cause lifelong foot problems and lead to issues in the ankles, knees and back. They list fallen arches, hammer and claw toes, bunions and muscular problems as potential risks.<\/p>\n
Jill Ferrari, a podiatrist and academic, said: \u201cYoung people\u2019s feet continue to grow until mid-teens and poorly fitting footwear can lead to toe deformities, poor foot function and reduced gait efficiency. In younger children, poor footwear choices can increase the risk of tripping and falling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tanya Marriott, a co-founder of Footwear Hub, said: \u201cWhat we are seeing is deeply concerning. Unlike other clothing, shoes directly affect how children move, develop and grow, and the consequences of a poor fit can last a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shoe fitters involved in the campaign report seeing a pattern of children wearing shoes that are too small or narrow. Marriott, who has worked as a professional shoe fitter for 22 years and runs SoleLution in Portishead, Somerset, said she was seeing more children with bunions.<\/p>\n
Fitters frequently encounter children with existing foot conditions \u2013 including toe deformities and structural differences \u2013 who are not receiving the specialist fitting support, Footwear Hub\u2019s researchers said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Parents should care for their children\u2019s feet in the same way as their eyes and teeth, according to footwear specialists who say they are seeing more young people with painful conditions such as bunions. Bunions are bony lumps on the side of the foot. People can be genetically pre-disposed but ill-fitting shoes are seen as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[343,986,4175,16083,37,1545,2226,7094,9564,6084,20681],"class_list":{"0":"post-48785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-childrens","9":"tag-closure","10":"tag-foot","11":"tag-harming","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-industry","14":"tag-retail","15":"tag-retailers","16":"tag-shoe","17":"tag-shops","18":"tag-specialist"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}