Current Understanding of the Impact of Childhood Obesity on the Foot and Lower Limb

Childhood obesity has emerged in recent years as a major public health problem. As this continues to concern across local, national and international populations, and as our understanding of obesity advances, access to multi-disciplinary care and understanding of the complications is warranted. Recent findings have suggested that the musculoskeletal system is one of the multiple body systems compromised by obesity and that aberrant biomechanical function may be a precursor to the onset of musculoskeletal symptoms. This review will consider childhood obesity and its impact on the paediatric foot and lower limb through examination of literature on foot structure and biomechanics of gait. An overview of evidence-based management is out with the context of this review, however some recommendations for clinical practice will be proposed.