Question
my son is 3 and a half years old. He is a very big boy, over 42 inches and 50 pounds. His weight is very evenly distributed, he has a little bit of a belly, but other than that his doctor says he is the 97 percentile for his age in terms of growth. Don't know if that is important just trying to preface the question with some info. Lately, he has been complaining about his feet hurting him. Just like his dad we have noticed that his little arch has just about disappeared. My foot is more like a brick than a foot. Just like dad's his ankles seem to roll in a bit. I have been an athlete all my life, as a fighter I have run up to ten miles a day, but my ankles and feet kill me. He runs like the wind and doesn't seem to be hindered while at play, but sooner than later he will ask that his shoes come off, crying about foot pain. He has indicated the pain is on the inner sole. He also complains when walking. What can we do to alleviate his pain, and facilitate his many outdoor athletic and playtime endeavors. If his little feet hurt him like mine do, I want to fix that asap. Sorry for the length of question/statement, just trying to give you all the info I can think of. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Answer
Dennis,
Like father like son, right?  It sounds like a visit to a podiatrist is in order!  Two options would be fabricating a custom orthotic for him to support his foot and make it work more efficiently for him.  There also may be a surgical option for him, but it's impossible to know without seeing him.

All the best,
Andrew Schneider, DPM
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