Is your child complaining of pain in their heels?
Do they play lots of sport?
Often pain in children around the growth spurt ages is just brushed off as “growing pains”.
When pain is ongoing it can be related to a growth related condition, which means pain, can worsen and children may mean even longer off sport.
Pain in the heels of children in the ages of children between the ages of 8 and 14 can often be an indication of ‘severs disease’.
What can it feel like?
- Pain in the back of one or both heels
- Pain worse after sport
- Back of the heel may be tender to touch
- Swelling and may even have a lump
- Walking or running on tip toes
- Feels better after rest
What’s causing it?
During a growth spurt a child’s bones grow faster than the muscles putting them on stretch and causing muscle tightness.
In the case of Sever’s the calf muscles and Achilles tendon can’t keep up and become tight. This pressure and pull this causes the tendon insertion to fray resulting in inflammation and pain at the growth plate in the heel.
Sports and particularly those involving running and jumping add repetitive significant pressure trough the body causing inflammation and pain. This is why pain often settles with rest but can worsen again with more activity.
What can treatment include?
- Musculoskeletal assessment
- Strengthening surrounding muscles such as arches in the feet
- Soft tissue release
- Advice and education such as when you can get back to sport and how you can keep playing
- Taping
- Home exercise program
- Orthotics if appropriate
Contact one of us today if your child is complaining of growing pains!