Heel Pain--Sever's Disease??

[nicolewi]

8.5 year old DD has been complaining of pain in one heel at soccer and when running around. I Googled it today and it might be Sever's Disease? It sounds scary but appears to be a common problem for growing kids and they might need a special orthotic for a while. Did anyone's kid have this? Can I take her to the regular pediatrician to get this checked and make sure it's not something else, like an Achilles problem? 

It's a little weird; I mean, she's active and does soccer and dance, but the activities are not at an intense level at all. Not has she had a giant growth spurt, but she does seem to be growing a bit.

[joy]

Start with your pediatrician.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Hmm...my dd was complaining of heel pain pretty often after dance at one point last year. I checked to make sure her shoes weren't too small (both dance and regular), and I think she took tylenol for it a handful of times, and then it stopped. I'd never looked into it more, but I'm guessing it was Sever's disease.

[ECB]

ds had this. He was in a boot for a little while until it calmed down. Stretching is supposed to help. It flares up sometimes, but it doesn’t bother him for too long.

[minzy]

Huh, maybe my kid has this. She has been complaining about her right heel for a few weeks. My husband got her some Velcro heel brace things which she says helps.

[pierogigirl]

I think my son could have it. It gets worse when he wear cleats a lot. I know two people that had it. One wore a boot for a while. The other had some type of surgery, but is fine and active now.

[roxysoxy]

Two of my son's friends had Sever's. Both were competitive soccer players and both of them had to wear a boot for a while. I would start with your pediatrician and they can refer you to a specialist, if necessary. 

[isabel]

I had heel pain when playing soccer as a kid and ended up with a stress fracture. Probably worth ruling that out.

[dangerousduo]

My son has this. He wears gel cups in his shoes and is in physical therapy to help it. He just finished his fall soccer season so I am hoping he will feel better by spring soccer season. His pediatrician diagnosed it.

[madringal]

My daughter is 13 and her group of friends are all going through major growth spurts. She runs XC and immediately into the season two of her friends were diagnosed with this. One was mild and just had to stop running. Other one was pretty serious and required a boot for a month as well as physical therapy. I would say if your kid is an athlete and plans to continue to do so, I would get a referral to a specialist.