Can bad feet / pronation cause lack of coordination in my child ?

Flat feet lead to poor co-ordination.

Yes!  The way I like to make sense of this for parents is probably not strictly 100% correct, but it does get the idea across. From the age of 10 or so onwards, your brain and motion sensors (called proprioceptors)  will interpret where you actually are in space.  At this sort of age, foot issues stop having a direct effect on coordination.  Until this time, the brain will interpret all the feedback it gets from proprioception in your feet and body as occurring in relation to feet that are where they should be (not where they actually are).

This puts the whole equation off and kids who pronate or roll in excessively tend to fall and trip more often.  They have a much poorer ability to walk along a narrow beam then their ‘perfect’ peers.  Orthotics can work really well in improving walking function and coordination in small children.  Whilst I said above that with age, the direct effect of this on children ceases, it should be remembered that missing out on all of the formative activities of childhood will have its own effect.  It is important to have your child assessed by a podiatrist as soon as any of these symptoms are noted.

To learn more about childhood pain, see our Growing Pains Info Sheet.  Alternatively, use this link to return to the Podiatry FAQs Blog.