3 Practical Tips for Heel Pain Relief in Kids
School sports absorb hours of a child’s week every fall. After school, hundreds of children head to practices for many different sports to improve their skills and prepare for games. All that pounding around puts athletic kids at risk for heel pain—which could keep them watching from the sidelines for a while. Fortunately, there are things you can do for your child’s heel pain relief.
The most common cause of heel pain in active, athletic children is Sever’s disease. This isn’t actually a disease at all—it’s a problem with inflammation in the growth plate in the heel bone. Pressure on the back of the heel, particularly from tightness in the Achilles and repeated hard impacts, aggravates the growth plate and causes pain. The more active your child is, the more the injury increases over time.
However, there are practical things you can do for your son or daughter to help with heel pain relief. Your child will need to take a break from hard-impact activities and sports that make his or her heels hurt, but there are other things you can do to speed the healing process. Try these methods:
Icing – Have your child hold an ice pack wrapped in a towel to the back of his or her foot. Keep the ice on the heel for 20 minutes at a time, and repeat three to four times a day.
Stretching – Help your child perform calf and Achilles stretches to loosen up any tightened tissues. The wall and bent-knee stretches work well for this.
Orthotics – Custom inserts that cup the heel can help raise it up, reducing the pressure from the tight Achilles, as well as cushioning footsteps. These effects help alleviate the strain on the growth plate in the heel bone.
Practical heel pain relief can make a real difference for getting your son or daughter back to his or her feet quickly. Let our team at Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC in Metairie, LA, help your child stay active without discomfort. Request more information, or make an appointment with our expert team, by using the online contact page or calling us at (504) 708-4810.