Painful heels

[curlew]

My 12 year old ds suffers from incredibly painful heels after football, and has done for a while .We've tried putting memory foam insoles in his boots, but it only helps a bit. It was the worst it's ever been after training last night and he had to stop playing, which means it must have really hurt. I've made a doctor's appointment for next week, but he has training and a match he won't want to miss before then. Does anyone have any idea what it might be, and what, if anything I can do to ease it a bit?

No one?

I had this at that sort of age - couldn't walk in bare feet on a hard floor at all - and it was tendonitis I think, something about inflammation where the tendons insert into the heel. But I had juvenile arthritis as well and it was associated with that in some way as I remember, at least the rheumatologists weren't surprised about it, which obviously isn't the same situation as your son.

I have had a very painful heel for months this year which has really been a nuisance and turned out to be . . . a verruca! Bit embarrassing but I'd never had one before so didn't realise. I guess that would be just on one foot though and you'd be able to see something and feel a bit of a lump.

Yes, DS had this and was referred via GP to a lovely podiatrist who hand cut some insoles for his shoes. Sorry--can't remember the medical diagnosis, but he did grow out of it. It was very painful at the time. Hope your GP can help.

One of my ds's teammates suffers from Severs disease, which sounds very like this. He's ok now but was very badly effected for a while and could barely walk at one point.

Sounds like severs my d suffered for years with it on and off they grow out of it between 13 and 15 . She trains in gymnastics icing the heels helps and using tiger tape to support them when training helps although rest is the only thing that really stops the pain . It usually comes in bouts whentheynhave a growth spurt 6 weeks was the longest bout she had and it goes as fast as it comes. It's just one of them annoyance for the growing kids . It won't cause any damage to the foot it's just painful at the time, good luck but it does pass

My DD is a gymnast and suffers with this - it sounds like Severs. My DS suffered too - he's a footballer.

We have just managed to get my DD's under control, so that she can continue to do her sport by doing the following -

Applying ice to her heels for 20 mins or so after activities, then massaging out all her achilles and calf muscles (tight achilles and calves is usually the cause). I have been using olive oil for this!

Daily achilles stretching off the back of a stair or similar, and calf muscle stretches.

Using gel heel cups (Tuli's) in school shoes - this takes the pressure off the heel and raises it too, so taking the pressure of the tight muscles. Use the cups in his football boots too if you can, otherwise maybe Sorbathane heel pads.

Good luck. It's awful when this stops them doing what they love doing.

pressure OFF!