Disease Proof

I wasn’t exactly the thinnest kid when I was little—growing up in an Italian family comes with that liability. “Gerry eat’a more! You’a so skinny.” And according to Reuters, extra pounds in childhood can take a heavy toll feet. Anne Harding reports:

As few as 15 to 20 extra pounds can contribute to flattening of the arches and inflammation of the growth plate in the heel, according to Haycock, who says he used to only see this type of foot pain in very active children, but is seeing it increasingly in overweight kids.


It's difficult to determine whether children are obese because they have foot problems in the first place, which make it painful for them to be active, or whether the obesity is causing the changes in foot structure, Dr. Darryl Haycock, a foot and ankle surgeon in private practice in Lima, Ohio added.