Heel pain in children – what are the major causes?

Heel pain is very common in young children, especially between the ages of 8 and 14 but what are the major causes? Often it is not as simple as it seems and there can be many factors that need to be addressed so your child can function and play sport without pain.

Major causes of heel pain in young children

As a podiatrist with over 25 years of experience I have seen a lot of children with foot problems but probably the number one problem is often heel pain. So what are the main causes of this common symptomatic condition in children?

Severs’ disease

Severs’ disease is usually the number one cause of heel pain in growing children, especially between the ages of 8 and 14. Sever’s disease, also known as calcaneal apophysitis, is a growing condition caused by excessive muscle strain on the growth plate of the heel bone. Symptoms are generally worse after sport or activity, especially sports that involve a lot of running or jumping (e.g. basketball). Whilst Severs’ is very common in young children there are often many other overlooked factors that can affect the severity of symptoms.

Heel fat pad atrophy

The heel fat pad is designed to absorb forces and reduce stress on the heel bone. Some children have bony heels with not a lot of fat pad for protection. The result is a heel bone that gets more stress and forces especially with running and jumping activities. This is often an overlooked factor in children who get increased Severs’ pain symptoms.

Foot structure and biomechanics

Children’s foot structure is often due to a combination of factors including genetics and biomechanical fatcors. Foot biomechanics or the way the foot functions is very important as it helps the foot absorb ground reaction forcees when walking or running. Children who have a flexible foot structure are often better at shock absorption. Children who have a foot type that is higher in the arch and more rigid are often poorer at shock absorption and therefore more prone to developing heel pain symptoms.

Footwear

Children’s feet are all made different. Some feet roll in too much (pronate) and need support and other feet don’t roll in enough and cushioning. The footwear your child wears is often a big factor on how the foot functions. Some shoes can be too rigid for some feet and this may impede the foots natural motion to shock absorb. The result is the ground forces have to be absorbed by something else and often that first structure is the heel bone, resulting in an increaed risk of developing heel pain. With children’s runners constantly changing in specs and materials, footwear is affecting children’s biomechanics more than ever. In my experience footwear is becoming a big overlooked factor in the cause of children’s heel pain.

Sporting load

As children get older they often are more active, especially once they reach primary school age. Children who do lots of sport without many rest days will be loading up their feet more with forces. So more sport = more load on the heel  = greater chance of heel pain. The good news is whilst sporting load is a factor in heel pain it is generally not the major cause and is often addressed only as a last resort.

See a podiatrist for your child’s heel pain

How do you know which factor is the cause of your child’s heel pain? Often it is very hard to tell and to make it harder children’s heel pain is often caused by a combination of factors. So if you want your child to be free from heel pain, see one of our Melbourne podiatrists for assessment and treatment.

The podiatrists at our Melbourne foot clinic are experts in children’s heel pain and can help identify and address the causative factors. Thorough diagnosis and treatment will help your child get back to daily function and their favourite sporting acivities.

Does your child suffer from heel pain?

At our Melbourne foot clinic our podiatrists are experts in children’s foot conditions including children’s heel pain.

So if your child is suffering from heel pain symptoms, book an appointment with one of our friendly podiatrists today!