Does your child have sore heels with sport?
Our children often mention they have sore feet and legs after sport and most of the time they will be out running in the backyard or back on the trampoline within and matters of hours or even minutes without a thought of the agony they were in just a few moments ago. Most of the time, this is just a niggle from sport or a busy day on their feet. But on occasion, these niggles can be a bit more serious, with your child hobbling around many hours and days after the fact. The most common form of this in children aged between 8-15 years old is a heel condition called Sever's. The children we see complain of sharp pain during and after sport, can sometimes "warm up", but settles a couple of hours after sport. Running, football, basketball, dancing and netball are common sports that trigger this condition. Add to the mix trampoline, scooter and general running and jumping of active kids, the heel bone has to put up with a barrage of activity. And let's be honest kids these days take full advantage of Mum and Dad's taxi service - soccer training Tuesday, basketball training Wednesday, games Friday night and soccer all day Sunday plus all the other running around at school and at home. The kid never gets a chance to completely rest and recover.
The pain of Sever's originates in the growth plate of the heel bone. The Achilles tendon attaches to it as do the muscles of the arch. With growth, the leg and foot bones get longer and these muscles and tendons tighten up pulling on this growth plate. Foot posture and footwear also contribute. The running and jumping of kids sports puts even more stress through the area which irritates the growth plate further. Both heels can often be affected which can limit your child's ability to run, participate in sport and play with friends.
The good news is that this condition can settle on it's own once the muscles and tendon stretch out to accommodate the increased growth. But if your child is actively involved in regular sports, Sever's can persist for weeks and months. This is often the trigger to have an assessment from a podiatrist to form a treatment plan that will reduce the pain of Severs and prevent the condition impacting on your child's life. Treatment will involve stretching programs, taping, heel raises, footwear changes and the use of foot orthotics if the foot posture and running style of your child is contributing.
If your child is complaining of heel pain, it's been a week or two and they are still saying their heel hurts, it's a good idea to get a diagnosis and begin a treatment plan from one of the podiatrists at Base Podiatry.
