Painful heels in kids is actually quite common. There is a condition that affects the back of heel bone in children called Sever’s disease which many kids get. Sever's disease is a growth area condition, therefore for that reason this is an issue which the youngster will definitely outgrow in due course. It is recommended to realize that this is simply not a disease, however the name is something that has caught on therefore it is nevertheless frequently used. The more correct name is calcaneal apophysitis. There is a growth plate (the apophysis) at the back of the heel bone in the foot where growth happens, therefore the disorder is an injury with that growth area. It commonly has an effect on kids between the ages of about 9-13 years of age, with a few occuring beyond these ages. Once growth within this calcaneus bone finishes around the middle of the teenage life, after that Sever’s disease is not a problem or an issue.

Detecting Sever’s disease is invariably straight forward and it is dependant upon the ages of the child as well as the symptoms. There is little that is visible on x-ray or any other imaging, so these are pointless to have a investigation. The pain is typically more serious with exercise. The discomfort is mostly on the posterior aspect of the heel bone and can be even more painful if you squeeze the side of the heel bone. The symptoms do usually tend to change from week to week. The cause of Sever’s disease is just too much overuse, so it's more prevalent in kids which have been a lot more physically active or have a weightier bodyweight as this simply adds a lot more stress to the heel bone and overloads the bone. If the surface which the child plays sports upon is harder, then this may be a factor. Some consider that tight leg muscles might also be an issue, yet other experts do not think that it is a issue.

The treatment of Sever’s disease is generally simply just taking it easy until the symptoms get better. Exercise amounts really should be dictated by how much discomfort there is and taking care of that. If the symptoms are getting better, then sports levels might be higher. In the event the pain is getting more painful after that exercise levels have to be lessened. This means that the child and parents ought to be informed about the self-limiting nature of this disorder and how to deal with these loads to keep the discomfort manageable with time. The most popular solution for this is generally a cushioning heel pad that cushions the heel from hard impacts on the floor in addition to with the force with the Achilles tendon. Should the discomfort is especially bad, then taping could be used to reduce movement and an ice pack could be used to assist with the symptoms following sport activity. In the event the foot is particularly flat or overpronated, then foot orthotics are occasionally used to help this along with the Sever's disease. The greatest concern is always to convince that youngster to cut back on activities as soon as the discomfort are getting worse since the innate impulse is to be being as active as possible.