A No-Brainer for Hypermobile Children – The Shoe to Buy – Kickers

It’s funny because since taking Alexander to the a paediatric orthopaedic specialist, ( that’s a bone doctor for children for anyone with lingering baby brain- I know it, I have it!) I have bumped into many, many parents in my neck of the woods who all have children diagnosed with this same disorder. My best friend’s daughter has it, I go into a well-know children’s shoe shop locally and they say that it’s massively diagnosed these days.

When we took todder PCG to see the specialist because he intoes (walks inwards) and tiptoes – all symptoms of this we find out, he told us that the majority of children these days are weaker than their parents. That’s all very well at 2 years old but the example given was of the muscle mass of an 18-year-old compared to that of his mother. you guessed it- the mother being stronger. This is an ongoing phenomenon in our society as kids become more sedentary, glued to their computers, the streets aren’t safe any more etc etc  I digress, I just thought it interesting and worthy of sharing. It also gave me more impetus to make an effort with toddler PCG and his activity levels and in order to be active he needs to be out in the right shoes!

Hypermobility syndrome is a condition that features joints that move easily beyond the range expected for that joint. It is estimated that 10-15% of normal children have it. Hypermobile joints are sometimes referred to a ‘loose joints’ or ‘double jointed’ and it’s often hereditary although neither of us ever thought that we were hypermobile – as I mentioned, it’s much more diagnosed these days. It’s not always a bad thing either. Many top athletes are hypermobile, footballers especially.

So, it’s nothing to worry about but you do need to be aware and you do need the right footwear and that means good support especially in the ankle area which can be loose and cause walking issues. With time, kids’ muscles get stronger and do the job themselves but until then, keep them in boots that support well.  We were recommended Kickers and I love them. They come in a myriad of colours and styles and they have staged a comeback style-wise -a real style icon, so are very cool indeed. I’ve gone for dark sole for winter/spring and light sole for spring/summer. I also love these silver ones!