Severs disease or calcaneal apophysitis is a prevalent condition of the heel bone in developing children. At the rear of the heel bone is a growth area that most of the development of the heel bone occurs at and this problem is an overuse injury of that growing area. It is more prevalent in children which are active, are overweight and are taller. The common signs of Severs disease is soreness at the back and sides of the heel bone, particularly after activity. Severs disease is regarded as a self limiting disorder, because the child will always at some point grow out of it when growth of the heel pain stops and the developing area of cartilage inside the bone combines with the rest of the heel bone. That doesn’t indicate it shouldn’t be treated and may not be helped before that growth ceases.
This episode from PodChatLive was a comprehensive discussion into the issue of Sever’s disease/Calcaneal apophysitis:
A great way to handle this problem can be managing the child’s and parent’s expectations as well as way of life to maintain the signs and symptoms under control. The strains must be controlled via modifying and limiting activity levels. This could be difficult and could require some negotiation with the child. If the discomfort is severe after sports activity, then ice can be used to help reduce that. Often a cushioned heel insert might help protect the heel. Long term the prospects is good as they will outgrow this by the mid-teenage years.
