Heel Pain in Children

Heel pain in children is mostly caused due to Sever's disease. It can also be caused due to some other health conditions. Usually, young children in the age group of 10 to 14 suffer from heel pain. Boys tend to get heel pain more frequently as compared to girls. The pain is felt at the back of the heel and sometimes, at the bottom of the heel as well. The pain may not be constant and it comes and goes. It can affect both the legs or just one leg may also get affected. Normally, the healing time is two weeks though it may recur after a period of time.

Causes and Symptoms

Heel pain starts after overuse of heels due to physical activities like running and jumping. Sever's disease occurs when there is some temporary distortion in the Achilles tendon present at the back of the heel. This happens when the growth of the calf bones, calf muscles and Achilles tendon is not properly matched. In other words, the growth of the bones are faster as compared to the growth of the muscles and the tendon. As a result, the muscle and the tendon tends to become taut and gives rise to pain. Heel pain in athletes are found due to running or jumping on hard surfaces. Excessive physical activity, use of ill fitting shoes, injury to the bones and the muscles of the feet or ankle area can increase the intensity of the pain.

Other causes are plantar fasciitis or inflammation in the ligament that lies in between heel bone and sole of the foot, achilles tendonitis or swelling of the Achilles tendon, stress fracture which may be caused due to overweight or hard impact on the heel bone and another foot problem known as bursitis.

The pain is felt in the area surrounding the Achilles tendon. In the initial stage, after performing some physical exercise, the child may complain of the pain and would feel better after taking some rest. Later, swelling may occur in the heel which may become so sensitive that the child will not even let you touch the area. Stiffness in the calf muscles is felt particularly after getting up from the bed. You will also notice that your child is limping while walking because of the pain. Some children develop the habit of tiptoeing.

Treatment

When you find that your child is experiencing heel pain quite frequently, then you should consult a physiotherapist for proper diagnosis of the problem. It is usually identified with the help of physical examination of the leg of the child and x-ray of the foot. Depending on the condition of the heel, the physiotherapist will ascertain how much activities is permissible for your child and what amount of rest is required. In case the pain is unbearable for the child, painkillers are prescribed. If the mobility of the leg gets affected or some fracture has been detected then splinting or casting may be done which should be accompanied by complete rest of the foot. At home, whenever your child complains of heel pain, you can apply ice packs on the heel for 10-15 minutes to give some relief from the pain. Doctors suggest that use of shoe inserts inside the child's shoes temporarily can have a traction effect on the tendon and help in soothing up the pain. Physical therapy and stretching exercises are also beneficial in pain management.

Heel pain in children is not something to be worried about. There is no such evidence which suggests that it has caused any kind of complication in the long run. Once the heel pain is cured, your child can resume normal sports activities all over again.