Help for Son's Heel Pain

[janeybz]

Hello,

This question is for Cathe or anyone who can help my little boy. My son is eight and plays soccer. He has terrible heel pain when he plays. He doesn't seem to complain too much when he's just out running around, but at practice and in the games it looks like he's trying to run on wooden pegs instead of his feet! I checked into his shoes and they SEEM alright. Also, he insists that the shoes are not the problem. DH thinks it's growing pains. (He remembers heel pain when he was a little older than our son). Anyway, DH believes that our son's legs are growing faster than his Achilles can keep up with and he needs to stretch more in general, and especially before games and soccer practice. DS is doing the Achilles stretch that we know - leaning forward with one leg bent and the other behind him straightened and trying to touch the heel to the ground. Are there any other stretches you can suggest? Or, is there another possible cause for his heel pain that we haven't realized? It's just painful watching him hobble around the field! I wish we could help him out. He loves to play soccer!
Thanks for any advice!

Jane

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Jane! I would definitely take him to the doctor and let them check it out. If he is changing his running gait to accommodate pain, he needs to rest and get the inflammation out. The practices may be too aggressive for his current level of fitness, causing him to overstrain muscles/ligaments/tendons and risk injuries due to lack of recovery time. There are definitely lots of stretches and additional warm ups your son could do, but before suggesting all of that, I think its important that his doc is aware of his hobbling pain. After his/her evaluation, they will most likely be able to provide you with a print out of great stretches/ exercises to help him out. If not, they will be able to give you the name of a doc who can. I wish him a strong recovery. It is simply not any fun to play sports while in pain. All my best!

 

[Stacy]

It may be something called Sever's disease which is an inflammation at the insertion site of the Achilles tendon into the heel bone. It inserts there right at the growth plate usually and until he stops growing he may have pain there intermittently. If your doc doesnt think an xray is needed and his shoes are fitting well you may have to grin and bear it and curtail his running a bit during painful times. Icing the area and giving Ibuprofen before and/or after playing will help alleviate some discomfort as well. In addition, Cathe's advice is right on the money.

 

[jthornton]

My daughter also played soccer and had the exact same problem. I took her to see a doctor and he prescribed an anti-inflammatory and she had to wear heel cups in her shoes. In a couple of weeks, she was just fine. I can't remember the actual term he called it, but I remember him saying it was very common in kids who played sports (especially during the years that they are growing).

Hope this helps!

 

[gough]

Both of my older sons have gone through something similar to this. When I took them to the dr, he said it was very typical for the age (growth spurt), and that stretching and anti-inflammitory meds were the best treatments. I had them stretch by hanging one heel off of a step.

Hope he gets some relief soon.

 

[susieq]

My son also had this problem. There is a name for it. We went to an orthopaedic, and he x-rayed and said he needed to sit out of sports for a while.

He had several suggestions to follow and he is better now.

He hated sitting out of basketball for a year, but it was worth it.

 

[janeybz]

Thank you so much for your answer and advice! I understand how busy you are and I really appreciate your taking time out to answer my question! I made an appointment with the doctor this week and we will see what we can do to help my little guy out!
Thanks also for all your great videos!!! They have really and truly changed my life!

Jane

 

[janeybz]

Thanks to everyone for all this information about your kids and their sports! I don't feel alone in this anymore! I hope our doctor can help out my little guy!

Jane

 

[P Marie]

Jane,

Ask your doctor about plantar fascitis. This sounds like what he has and it's treatable.

good luck!