Heel issues

[CoachBroker]

Has anyone had to deal with any heel issues with there DDs? My DD started complaining about here heel hurting after running the bases on a triple she hit. She played throughout the tournament however the HC chose to give her 2 innings on Sunday afternoon to sit out and rest it. It seemed to have gotten better until yesterday it started hurting again while doing base running drills. There are a few things we are considering such as a Stone Bruise, plantar fasciitis, or something different. Just looking for possibilities and suggestions.

 

[deboy922]

What is DD's age? How old are her cleats?

 

[obbay]

How old?

I don't have an answer to your heel question but these two thoughts came to mind:

1) I find most youth players dont know that they are supposed to sprint on the balls of their feet/heels off the ground.
2) Also, usually if a player is coming down on their heels too hard it results in shin splints

FWIW - a long time ago, a Dr at my HMO thought I had Plantar Fascitis, but my pain was in the ball of the foot, not the heel. Turned out I had broken an osimoid (sp?) bone.

 

[rdbass]

Sever's disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Very common in growing children.

 

[GXsDad]

My DD went through this when she was about to turn 11. Saw the doc and had it x-rayed. The doctor said it was due to a growth plate in her heel and that she was probably going through a growth spurt. Evidently, this is quite common in young athletes. DD rested it for a week or two and took a little motrin. The doc suggested gel heel inserts for her sneakers/cleats and those seemed to get her through the next few months. This was a little over a year ago and luckily she has not had any trouble since.

A former team mate suffered the same pain (at the same age) tried to fight through it and was eventually found to have a fracture of the growth plate in the heel. So, if the pain persists for very long I recommend a trip to the doctor to make sure nothing serious is going on.

 

[4 girl's dad]

Sever's disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Very common in growing children.

What he said. I had as a youth and my youngest dd ha it now. Lots of focused stretching before and ice, ibuprofen after workouts and games. Good cleats!! We went from boombahs to mizuno and have cut the occurrence in half if not more. Good inserts help too. We used to use a product called A-lines that helped but since she switched cleats, we don't use them anymore. No bare-foot running around.

 

[FastpitchFan]

Hi CoachBroker:

This is a very common issue. In a nutshell, bones grow longer before muscles and tendons (what attaches muscles to bones) can follow. It basically stretches out the muscles and ligaments which lead to many issues in growing athletes like yours.

I personally suffer from "sensitive" ankle. I am prone to all injuries in that area so I need to be extra careful. Working with young athletes and softball players over the years, I have seen and helped many.

There are many things that can be done to strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the foot but unless it is a bit more specific, it is like shooting in the dark. Without knowing, a very common thing like obbay mentioned, Plantar Fascitis ! It is another "itis"... or tendonitis of the achilles tendon that attaches under the foot. It is like a shin splint for the the tendon under the foot.

Foot massage rolling a golf, lacrosse or tennis under the foot and stretching the calves helps along with icing. Strengthening exercises can also help but I would need to talk to you more specifically.

Feel free to drop me a line at marc (at) softballperformance and I can see how I can help.

Give us an update !

Coach Marc

 

[Lenski]

Has anyone had to deal with any heel issues with there DDs? My DD started complaining about here heel hurting after running the bases on a triple she hit. She played throughout the tournament however the HC chose to give her 2 innings on Sunday afternoon to sit out and rest it. It seemed to have gotten better until yesterday it started hurting again while doing base running drills. There are a few things we are considering such as a Stone Bruise, plantar fasciitis, or something different. Just looking for possibilities and suggestions.

Which part of the foot hits the ground first when she runs........heel or ball of the foot?

 

[CoachHarley]

I have 3 or 4 girls on my team that all are having the same issue. They have all gone to the doc and got the same, growing pains, answer. Doesn't matter how they run, how old the cleats are. 2 of them run mostly on their toes and pretty much the whole team has new cleats. We are a 10u team.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Sever's disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Very common in growing children.

I agree on this. DD had this at first year 12U. Very common in pre-teens. They usually grow out of it, but we changed cleats (from Nikes with very little heel cushioning to Asics gels) and did physical therapy with lots of stretching and exercises. She had also been a heel-runner and we worked to get her running on her toes instead. By second year 12U, her heels were fine.