Sever's Disease Can Be a Painful Side-Effect

Tag : Children Shoes
Sever's Disease (Children's Heel Pain) Can Be a Painful Side-Effectof Summer for Boys and Girls Between the Ages of 9 and 14

DES PLAINES, Ill., July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Summertime sports andactivities can be brutally painful for children who develop overusefoot injuries. A frequent site for such injuries is the back of theheel. This painful condition is called Sever's Disease or CalcanealApophysitis. Sever's Disease most frequently occurs in active boysand girls between the ages of 9 and 14.
Sever's Disease differs from the most common types of adult heelpain, plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, by location and onset ofpain. While plantar fasciitis and heel spur pains occur on thebottom of the adult heel, and are most intense when first standingon the foot, Sever's Disease produces pain at the back of thechild's heel and is most intense after periods of running andjumping.
Frequent symptoms of Sever's Disease include pain when the back ofthe heel is squeezed from side to side. This pain is usually moreintense than pushing on the back of the heel. Pain is alsofrequently worse after periods of running and jumping, while restusually relieves the symptoms. Limping is frequently anothersymptom of Sever's Disease.
Sever's Disease (Calcaneal Apophysitis) occurs when the growthplate at the back of the heel becomes inflamed due to the pull ofthe Achilles tendon on the heel. The Achilles tendon attaches tothe back of the heel at the site of the heel's growth plate, andwhen it lifts the heel up, it pulls on the growth plate with greatforce. When this pull occurs too often (overuse) or is tooforceful, the growth plate at the back of the heel becomes inflamedand painful, and Sever's Disease is the result.
For immediate self-help treatments, Dr. Paul R. Kasdan, a prominentpodiatrist and medical director for OurHealthNetwork.com ( http://www.OurHealthNetwork.com/ ), suggests:
"Because Sever's Disease can be related to foot and Achilles tendonabnormalities, recurrences may occur until these problems areaddressed," states Dr. Kasdan. To effectively treat and preventSever's Disease, doctors frequently recommend using custom-madesports orthotics. These biomechanical devices help preventrecurring attacks of this debilitating disease. For moreinformation about Sever's Disease and custom-made orthotics, pleasevisit http://www.OurHealthNetwork.com/SeversDisease/ .
OurHealthNetwork.com makes custom-made sports orthotics fromcomfortable, durable, shock-absorbent materials that allow them tobe thin enough to fit in cleats and other low-volume sports anddance shoes.