Podiatry Blog

Pain in the heel of children is not very common, but when it does happen, it is almost always a condition known as Severs Disease. This is thought of as being a strain of the cartilage growth plate at the back of the calcaneus. Some have even suggested that it is a stress fracture of this growth plate. The most common cause of severs disease is a combination of factors such as activity level, hard surfaces and tight calf muscles. Many consider abnormal foot biomechanics also plays a role. The typical symptoms of severs disease is pain on activity and pain at the back of the heel on medial and lateral compression. There are no typical finding of severs disease visible on x-ray. The usual treatment of severs disease is the use of activity modification, cushioning heel raises and the use of some physical therapy modalities. There are no long term consequences to severs disease as the growth plate merges with the surround bone at the mid-teen years.