Severs disease is a common problem in the heel of kids. Severs disease is actually a strain of the growth plate at the back of the heel bone, so does not affect them from about the mid-teens onwards as the growth plate merges with the surrounding bone. The Achilles tendon attaches to the back of the growth plate and the bottom part of the growth plate is what contacts the ground when running. These two factors put a load on the growth plate, that when combined with a lot of running, especially on hard surfaces can predispose to severs disease. Tight calf muscles are also often an issue in the risk of development of getting severs disease.
The most common symptom of severs disease is pain on squeezing the lateral sides of the heel at the back and pain on and after physical activity. The pain of severs disease progressively gets worse over time after starting as a mild ache.
Severs disease treatment usually starts with a reduction in levels of physical activity and the use of a heel raise to cushion and protect the heel. Calf muscle stretches are also useful. Foot orthotics may also be needed to correct any problems with the foot biomechanics. There are usually no longer term problems with severs disease as the growth plate eventually merges with the rest of the heel bone.
