- Apr 13, 2014
- 2
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Hi everyone. I'm new to the site and i had to join. Has anyone's dd suffer from heel pain or severs? We have our worlds this weekend and wondered if anyone had any recommendations for the pain she's having. Thanks
severs disease
- Thread starter michigunnut
- Start date
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Yes, DD has suffered with chronic severs that ranges from extreme to tolerable pain- usually worse when she is doing a lot of daily running in cleats (therefore unfortunately it usually flares up before major tournaments). Our sports podiatrist recommended these actions:
- Use firm heel inserts in all shoes during times of inflammation & pain. Do not use gel inserts (they can make it worse). Firm heel inserts will temporarily shorten the tendon and minimize pain. When the inflammation has settled you have to remove them from all shoes. I would pick up a pair for her cleats and whatever shoes she is wearing between now and then.
- Daily icing of the heel/back of heel area during flare ups. 15 mins, 3 x day when possible- frozen peas work well.
- Daily stretching of the calf and heel, 5-6 times a day even when there is no inflammation. Since DD has been more vigilant about stretching every day (even under the desk at school) her Severs rarely gets chronic. Also paying extra attention to stretching calf and feet before exercise/training/playing.
- If possible, stay off the foot for a few days. If not possible remember to continue to stretch out calf and feet even during game play- once warmed up, the pain will subside. However if you are standing around fielding or not 'moving' it will start to feel very painful.
- Do not wear flip flops, ballet flats etc- must wear shoes with proper laces to take pressure of the foot lifting action.
- Consider the use of tape. DD never used tape however a teammate has used tape with some success.
Good luck at worlds- sorry to hear that this is happening to your DD at this moment, I hope it settles as much as possible in this short time frame.
- Use firm heel inserts in all shoes during times of inflammation & pain. Do not use gel inserts (they can make it worse). Firm heel inserts will temporarily shorten the tendon and minimize pain. When the inflammation has settled you have to remove them from all shoes. I would pick up a pair for her cleats and whatever shoes she is wearing between now and then.
- Daily icing of the heel/back of heel area during flare ups. 15 mins, 3 x day when possible- frozen peas work well.
- Daily stretching of the calf and heel, 5-6 times a day even when there is no inflammation. Since DD has been more vigilant about stretching every day (even under the desk at school) her Severs rarely gets chronic. Also paying extra attention to stretching calf and feet before exercise/training/playing.
- If possible, stay off the foot for a few days. If not possible remember to continue to stretch out calf and feet even during game play- once warmed up, the pain will subside. However if you are standing around fielding or not 'moving' it will start to feel very painful.
- Do not wear flip flops, ballet flats etc- must wear shoes with proper laces to take pressure of the foot lifting action.
- Consider the use of tape. DD never used tape however a teammate has used tape with some success.
Good luck at worlds- sorry to hear that this is happening to your DD at this moment, I hope it settles as much as possible in this short time frame.
- Apr 13, 2014
- 2
- 0
Thank u so much for the info. I was actually going out tomorrow for the gel cups. I wont now.
Ditto to above.
Cups will work if they are a hard plastic as stated above but check into Aline orthotics. I have a contact if needed. My dd has suffered with this for a year or two at 8 yo and these have prevented flare ups the last 6 months so far.
Good luck!
Cups will work if they are a hard plastic as stated above but check into Aline orthotics. I have a contact if needed. My dd has suffered with this for a year or two at 8 yo and these have prevented flare ups the last 6 months so far.
Good luck!
- Dec 8, 2011
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DD had Sever's disease during a growth spurt two years ago. Podiatrist advised and we used much of the stretching described above by Cat5. We also were HUGE users of the KT tape. Highly recommend it. It made a world of difference and allowed her to get back on the field even more quickly.
They have videos on how to apply it on their website: Kinesiology Tape | KT Tape. Good luck!!
They have videos on how to apply it on their website: Kinesiology Tape | KT Tape. Good luck!!
Interesting to find this thread today. My dd was diagnosed with Severs yesterday. It was a relief to us because we thought she was going to need surgery. She had broken her foot last summer and has dealt with pain since. The original diagnosis was that a bone fragment never healed and was floating around but when we went to St. Louis Children's Hospital to see a specialist, he diagnosed her with Sever's. (After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes earlier this year, I almost broke down in tears when they told us she had severs. All I heard was the word disease. I was relieved once they explained to me what it is just before the tears started flowin
The dr did give her the gel inserts though.
The dr did give her the gel inserts though.
These are the Aline inserts we are using. We use in both shoes.
- Apr 1, 2010
- 1,673
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DD had Sever's a few years ago (at 12 going on 13, I think?) and luckily outgrew it fairly quickly (about 4-6 months?). It seems to strike during their late childhood growth period. We did switch her from some Nike cleats that had almost no padding to Asics gel cleats that I had seen recommended for people with heel and ankle issues. We also used tape which gave fairly good results and had her stretching and doing rest, ice and elevation. When we iced, we usually did repetitions of 15 minutes on with ice, 15 minutes off. She was also a huge heel-runner, which just jarred those heels and ankles over and over. She has worked on running up on the balls of her feet instead.
Good luck!
Good luck!
A big part of managing severs for my son is that he cannot go barefoot nor wear flip-flops around the house. It's easy to think they're fine when out of cleats, but they need support and cushioning whenever they're on their feet. We have hard floors, but the ortho made no distinction when laying down the law.
