Severs disease is the popular name for a disorder which should be called calcaneal apophysitis. It truly should not be called Severs “disease” as it is not a disease. It is just a self limiting disorder of the growth plate in the heel bone of children which always disappears altogether on its own eventually without long term problems. This is a really common ailment in children close to age 10 to 12 years and should you question a number of children of that age if they have it or know someone that has had it, then most of them will probably say yes. There is a growth plate in the rear of the heel bone where growth of that bone occurs at. The achilles tendon attaches to this growth area, so its not hard to note that plenty of force is placed on that growing area, especially if the child is overweight or active in sports activity. The condition is a overuse of the growing region. The growing area merges with the remainder of the heel bone by the early teenage years, and so it is just not possible for it to be a problem after that.
Whilst the Severs disease is self-limiting and they'll outgrow this, it is painful and can cause discomfort so will have to be treated. The best approach is to begin with education regarding the Severs disease and the ways to handle exercise loads to help keep it under control. It's quite common to use ice on it after sports activity to help relieve the pain. Cushioned gel heel pads are frequently helpful and might make it more bearable so they can continue with activity. If you can find biomechanical issues, then correct foot supports may be required to take care of that. The most crucial part of the treatment is simply managing the loads. Kids of this age try to be active and engage in sport, so this could be a challenge.
