Does your child limp after sport or activity?
Are they complaining of sore heels post activity and sport?
Do they limp after periods of running or jumping?

They may have Sever’s Disease.

Don’t worry this is not as bad it sounds.  Severs disease a condition commonly affecting the feet of children 8-14 who are growing and active. It’s typically associated with pain at the heel bone where the achilles attaches. The pain is due to inflammation at the growth plate where the achilles tendon attaches to the calcaneal apophysis due to traction and overuse.

 

Why do kids get Sever’s?

• Growth spurt: Bone naturally grows faster than muscle. Therefore the muscle cannot maintain optimal length at the attachment point of the tendon when kids are growing. This creates a traction effect where the tendon joins onto the bone. The pain will usually occur towards the beginning of the growth spurt so you may not have noticed the spurt yet.
• Training load: Training load can vary depending on training schedule, sessions per week or training intensity. Watch out for rapid spikes in training or at the start of new sport seasons,
• Muscle tightness: Tight calf muscle are often a big factor with severs. The tighter they are the more it will pull on the achilles attachment point.
• Gender: Unfortunately, boys get this more than girls!
• Footwear: Change of footwear can also play a big role in the development of heel pain in kids. (Try aim to keep them in shoes where the heel is slightly higher than the toe box).

What does Severs look and feel like?

• Tenderness over the base of the heel.
• Pain with prolonged running and jumping activities, typically towards the end of a training session or game.
• Walking with a mild limp or on their tippy toes after sport.
• Heel pain that goes away an hour or so after they stop exercising.

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Any questions about an injury shoot us a message, give us a call on (02) 4751 9127 or book a session online here.

Written by Georgia King

(Physiotherapist)