Why Your Child Complains of Heel Pain: It's Not Just 'Growing Pains'
Your child comes home limping after football practice. "My heel hurts," they say. "It's just growing pains," you might think. But if your child has persistent child heel pain, especially between ages eight and fourteen, there's likely a specific cause—and dismissing it as growing pains could mean months of unnecessary suffering.
Let's talk about what's really happening and how to help your child heal.
Understanding Sever's Disease: The Real Cause of Child Heel Pain
The most common cause of child heel pain has a name: Sever's Disease (also called calcaneal apophysitis). Despite the scary-sounding name, it's not actually a disease—it's an overuse injury specific to growing children.
Here's what's happening inside your child's foot. In children and adolescents, the heel bone (calcaneus) isn't fully hardened. There's a growth plate at the back of the heel where new bone is being created. The Achilles tendon attaches near this growth plate.
When children are very active—running, jumping, playing sports—the Achilles tendon repeatedly pulls on this soft growth plate. If the stress is greater than the growth plate can handle, it becomes inflamed and painful.
This is why Sever's Disease peaks between ages eight and fourteen—the years of rapid growth when the heel bone is still developing. It's also why active children, especially those in sports involving running and jumping, are most commonly affected.
Why Child Heel Pain Is Common in Grenada
Several factors make child heel pain particularly common in our Caribbean setting.
Hard surfaces are everywhere. Grenadian schoolyards are often concrete or hard-packed dirt. Football pitches can be rock-hard during dry season. Our children play on surfaces that transmit more shock to their heels than a cushioned track or grass field would.
Flat, unsupportive shoes are the norm. Many children wear thin-soled shoes or flip-flops that provide no arch support or cushioning. When every step on hard ground sends shock directly into the heel, the growth plate takes a beating.
Year-round activity means no off-season. In temperate climates, winter provides a natural break from outdoor sports. Our warm weather means children can be highly active all year, with no recovery period for overuse injuries.
Heat can worsen symptoms. Hot, sweaty feet inside shoes can increase inflammation. Our climate provides plenty of both heat and humidity.
Signs Your Child Has Sever's Disease, Not Just "Growing Pains"
Child heel pain from Sever's Disease has specific characteristics that set it apart from vague growing pains.
Pain at the back or bottom of one or both heels is the primary symptom. The pain is typically at the back of the heel where the Achilles tendon attaches, or on the bottom toward the back.
Pain that worsens with activity is a telltale sign. The heel hurts more during or after running, jumping, or playing. It often improves with rest.
Morning stiffness is common. The heel is often stiffer and more painful when your child first gets up, then loosens as they move.
Limping or walking on toes occurs because children instinctively avoid putting weight on the painful heel. They may limp or walk on their toes to reduce pressure.
Squeezing the sides of the heel causes pain. A simple test: gently squeeze both sides of your child's heel. If this causes pain, Sever's Disease is likely.
Both heels may be affected, sometimes one more than the other. It's common for the condition to appear in both feet as both are going through the same growth process.
How to Help Your Child's Heel Pain at Home
The good news about child heel pain from Sever's Disease: it's very treatable and will eventually resolve completely once the growth plate matures. Here's how to help in the meantime.
Reduce activity level temporarily. This doesn't mean complete rest, but cutting back on high-impact activities. If your child plays football daily, reduce to two to three times per week. Switch some activity to lower-impact options like swimming.
Ice the heel after activity. Have your child ice their heels for fifteen minutes after any activity that causes pain. A frozen water bottle they can roll under their arch works well.
Upgrade their footwear. This is crucial. Replace flat, thin-soled shoes with options that have cushioned heels and arch support. Look for athletic shoes with good shock absorption. Avoid flip-flops and completely flat shoes.
Add heel cups or cushioned insoles. Over-the-counter gel heel cups or full-length cushioned insoles add shock absorption. Make sure they fit in your child's school shoes as well as sports shoes.
Stretch the calf muscles. Tight calf muscles increase tension on the Achilles, which increases pull on the growth plate. Daily calf stretches can reduce symptoms. Have your child stand on a step with heels hanging off, then gently lower the heels to stretch.
Over-the-counter pain relief can help during flare-ups. Ibuprofen or naproxen (with appropriate dosing for your child's age and weight) can reduce inflammation and pain. Check with your doctor for proper use.
When to See a Professional for Child Heel Pain
Most cases of child heel pain respond to home treatment. See a healthcare provider if pain is severe enough that your child refuses to walk, home treatment isn't helping after two to three weeks, there's swelling, redness, or warmth in the heel, your child has fever along with heel pain, or the pain followed a specific injury (fall, twist, or impact).
A professional can confirm the diagnosis, rule out other causes, and may recommend physical therapy, custom orthotics, or in severe cases, a walking boot to allow healing.
The Timeline for Recovery
Parents often want to know: how long will this last? Child heel pain from Sever's Disease typically resolves in two to eight weeks with proper treatment. However, it may recur during growth spurts until the growth plate fully closes—usually by age fifteen or sixteen.
The condition will not cause permanent damage. Once the growth plate matures and hardens, Sever's Disease cannot occur. Your child will not have lifelong heel problems from this condition if it's managed properly.
What they will have, if ignored, is months of unnecessary pain and limited activity. Taking action when your child complains makes a real difference.
Preventing Future Episodes of Child Heel Pain
Once your child has had Sever's Disease, prevention strategies become ongoing habits to reduce recurrence.
Maintain appropriate footwear always. Proper shoes aren't just for sports—school shoes matter too. Your child's feet are working all day.
Continue calf stretching daily, especially during growth spurts. Flexibility helps reduce Achilles tension.
Cross-train with low-impact activities. Swimming, cycling, and other non-impact activities give heels a break while keeping your child active.
Listen when they complain of heel pain. Early intervention is much more effective than waiting until they're limping.
Taking Your Child's Heel Pain Seriously
Child heel pain isn't something to dismiss as "just growing pains." When your child complains, they're telling you something real is happening. Sever's Disease is common, treatable, and temporary—but only if you take action.
Better shoes, reduced activity, stretching, and ice can transform your child's experience. Don't let them suffer unnecessarily.
Has your child dealt with heel pain? What helped them? Share your experiences in the comments to help other Grenadian parents navigate this common issue.