What is it?
Sever’s Disease is actually not a disease. This name can unnecessarily scare people, and a more appropriate name could be Sever’s syndrome.
Sever’s Disease actually involves irritation and inflammation of the growth plate (apophysitis) of the heel bone. The heel bone is known as the calcaneus, hence the name calcaneal apophysitis.
Who gets Sever’s Disease?
Heel pain in children is very common and often occurs after episodes of sporting activity.
Sever’s can be very painful, leading to children not being able to take part in sports. It mainly occurs in kids who are active, particularly if they are involved in sports that require jumping and sprinting.
What causes it?
As mentioned before, Sever’s Disease is common with active kids, however, certain foot types can increase the likelihood of kids getting it. Children with tight calf muscles or achilles tendons can predispose the child, as it pulls on the heel bone compressing the growth plate. Flat feet and hard shoes can also add to the likelihood of getting Sever’s Disease.
How is Sever’s Disease diagnosed?
At Bio Allied Health our podiatrists carefully assess a child’s feet, and some simple tests are carried out to diagnose the condition. If the heel is very swollen, an X-ray may be required to make sure it is not a stress fracture of the heel bone (stress fractures of the heel bone are not common in children).
What is the treatment?
Sever’s is actually “self-limiting”. This means it will eventually settle on its own. Even if no treatment is carried out, it would eventually settle down leading to no permanent damage. This, however, can take many years and can lead to the child avoiding sports.
Treatments are typically quite straightforward and often work well. They might involve a short time of rest and applying ice and anti-inflammatory gels.
A stretching program is prescribed to deal with the tight calf muscles, and insoles will also be advised, from simple gel insoles to custom orthotics, depending on the severity of the condition and the cause of the problem. Shoe advice is given as certain shoes can help the condition.
Dealing with children’s foot problems, known as podopaediatrics, is a subspecialty of podiatry that not all podiatrists are trained or experienced in. Our podiatrists are trained to assess, make a diagnosis, offer advice and prescribe a treatment.
Read more articles about foot and ankle conditions