$Unique_ID{PAR00151}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Sore Heels}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Sore Heels heel bone Pain tenderness foot mobility feet torn Achilles
tendon tendons Sever's disease calcaneus walk walks walking tender shoe pad
shoes pads}
$Log{
Heel Pain*0015101.tif}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Sore Heels


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOM
     - Pain and tenderness

     HOME CARE
     - Pad the heels of the child's shoes and temporarily restrict activities
       that involve running and jumping.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Inability to move the foot up and down may indicate a torn Achilles
       tendon.  This condition needs medical attention.
     - Have the child seen by a doctor if home treatment does not promptly
       relieve the pain of Sever's disease.
     - Pain may recur following a new injury.  Repeat the treatment.


     Painful heels are a common complaint before and during adolescence.
Almost 90 percent of the time, the pain is due to injury of the bony growth
plate near the back of the calcaneus (heel bone).  This condition is called
Sever's disease and may be due to a direct blow, such as might be caused by
the heels pounding the ground, or to the pull of the calf muscles on the
Achilles tendon and the back of the heel bone.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     In Sever's disease, one or both heels hurt when the child walks and are
tender to the touch on both sides and on the bottom of the heel bone (about
one-half inch to one inch away from the back of the heel).  The heels are not
swollen or red; the skin over the heels shows no abnormality.  The diagnosis
is based on the presence of pain and tenderness at the heel and the absence of
other symptoms.
     Other problems that cause pain at the heel are associated with other
symptoms.  For example, infection of the heel bone produces severe pain that
intensifies over time, redness and swelling of the infected heel, and a
low-grade fever.  Blisters, plantar warts, and wounds in the heel area can
also cause sore heels.

HOME CARE

     To relieve pain from Sever's disease, pad the heels of all of your
child's shoes with a quarter-inch heel pad and temporarily restrict activities
that involve running and jumping.  Even if a child has pain in only one heel,
be sure to pad the heels of both shoes.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  If your child cannot move the affected foot up and down (by rising on
     tiptoe), he or she may have a torn Achilles tendon.  Do not attempt home
     care.  The child should be seen by a doctor.
  -  With the proper home treatment, Sever's disease should subside in four to
     six weeks, and the pain should cease as soon as the heels of the shoes
     are padded.  If the pain isn't promptly eased, you should take your
     child to the doctor.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will perform a careful examination to rule out possible
causes of pain.  If Sever's disease is severe, the doctor will temporarily
immobilize the ankles.  X-ray studies are seldom required.

RELATED TOPICS:  Blisters; Puncture wounds; Warts