Paediatric Podiatry

Often referred to as ‘growing pains’, Sever’s Disease is technically known as calcaneal apophysitis. This foot pain is caused by inflammation of the growth plates and often affects tweens and early teens as kids go through a rapid growth spurt between around 9 – 12 years of age.

If your child is complaining of a sore foot that is aching at the back or bottom of their heel area, particularly when playing sports or running, it could well be because of calcaneal apophysitis.

Children grow rapidly from the age of nine to their early teens, forcing their muscles and soft tissues to become tight. This in turn places additional forces on the back of the heel bone that then translate to the calcaneal growth plate.

For kids, this pain often becomes worse when walking or running and differs from adult heel pain in that it does not settle down after some movement to loosen up the area.

If your child plays a high-impact sport such as soccer, netball, football, dancing, or gymnastics, they are at the highest risk of calcaneal apophysitis. The good news is that this condition is definitely treatable and will resolve over time with appropriate management.

Children usually complain of pain in the back and bottom of their heel when they are active. Pain is often reported as a dull ache that makes it difficult to load their heel. It can be experienced in one or both feet and often causes children to walk on their toes in an attempt to offload their heels. They may limp on the playing field and report being tired.

Seeing an experienced podiatrist will give you the treatment options your child needs to continue their happy, active and pain-free childhood.

Simple and non-invasive treatments such as temporary heel lifts inside the shoe or custom orthotics usually bring children great relief. With the addition of targeted physical therapy and a small period of reduced activity, this common condition typically resolves relatively quickly.