Teens heel pain

Heel pain makes it difficult to walk, exercise and do daily activities. Printed from FootHealthFacts. Swartz said parents often bring their kids to the pediatrician or the emergency room first but need to follow up with a foot and ankle surgeon.

Kids undergoing growth spurts are especially susceptible to heel pain starting at age eight until around age 13 for girls and age 15 for boys.

What to Do About

Occasionally immobilization in a boot is needed to calm the irritation in the growth plate. Sever’s disease (also known as calcaneal apophysitis) is one of the most common causes of heel pain in growing children and adolescents. Address pain early, avoid long recovery.

Anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy or other treatments tailored for patients may be necessary. Louis-based foot and ankle surgeon.

Sever 39 s Disease

Collins says. For many teenagers, the growth plate has completely closed, and heel pain is caused by other conditions, such as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, bursitis, bone bruises or fractures. Understand 5 common causes like Sever’s disease, poor shoes, or injury, and know when to see a doctor.

Heel cups: Rubber heel cups should be worn in all of your child’s shoes, especially in cleats. Stretching helps prevent heel pain, especially when sports call for explosive sprints that pull quickly on tendons.

Sever 39 s Disease

Is your child complaining of heel pain? Preparation and recognition of warning signs can help prevent or reduce the severity of heel pain. Consider these guidelines:. A A A Print Share. The number of pediatric patients reporting heel pain increases with fall and winter sports seasons.

Sever's disease, a common heel injury, is due to inflammation (swelling) of the growth plate in the heel. With extensive experience in foot and ankle therapies, foot and ankle surgeons are uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat foot problems in young people through examination and imaging beyond basic x-rays, which do not always reveal the cause of the pain.

Trauma injury to the foot requires immediate consultation. If your child experiences pain while at rest or with simple walking, contact their pediatrician. Supportive shoes are a must, but it is not always obvious when to switch shoes or to adapt them for the best fit.

Several things should tip parents off that their child needs attention, including limping, complaining, walking on toes and pain the morning after a game. Learn more about the causes and treatment options. That said, heel pain is quite common among tweens and teens, especially those playing a sport (or many of them!) and just hitting a growth spurt.

Heel Pain and Sever

Overuse, repeated pounding or excessive force on the Achilles tendon can cause inflammation and pain. Do not skip warm-up or cool-down exercises, Dr. Swartz added. Left untreated, heel pain can lead to difficulty in walking that will require complicated therapy.

What is the treatment for Sever's Disease? In short, this is likely the result of Sever’s disease, a condition unique to growing kids due to the exposed position of the heel’s growth plate at this age.

Don 39 t Ignore

What parents should know about pediatric heel pain, Sever's Disease, treatment options and children's orthotics to give your child relief. It is an inflammation of the growth plate in the heel. While painful, it's only temporary and has no long-term effects.

Sometimes, the simple RICE strategy—Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation—resolves pain, but when healing does not happen soon, it is time for clinical evaluation.