Pain in the rearfoot of children isn't very common, but when it does occur, the most common reason is a problem known as Severs disease. It is not really a “disease”, but it is the term that has regrettably widely used. It is actually appropriately named calcaneal apophysitis. It is a disorder with the growing area at the rear of the heel bone. Since it is a disorder, of the growing bone, the disorder is self-limiting and will not be an issue when the growth of that bone has finished. It is more prevalent around the age groups of 10-12 years.
The typical characteristic of Severs disease is soreness on exercise and discomfort on squeezing the sides of the rear area of the heel bone. To begin with the soreness is relatively minor and does not affect action much, however later it will become more painful and impacts exercise involvement and can even result in limping. The exact cause of it is not known, but it is obviously an overuse type problem as it is more common in children who participate in more sport and more common in kids who have got a higher bodyweight. Kids with tight leg muscles might be at a higher risk for the chances of this condition.
Usually, the management of Severs disease is load management. The child is encouraged to stay active, but just cut back activity amounts to a level that can be coped with and not too painful. A soft heel pad in the footwear might be helpful to protect it. Ice soon after exercise might also be helpful to help the symptoms. If the calf muscles are tight, then a stretches ought to be started. Sometimes foot supports may help if the arch of the foot is flat. On rare occasions a splint can be utilized, and all activities halted until it heals. By the mid-teens the growth plate that this occurs at merges with the rest of the heel bone, and this ceases to be a problem at those ages.
