Indoors and outdoors, youth athletes stay active year-round in competitive sports, and for many of them heel pain has become “just another part of the game.” Foot and ankle surgeons, Leslie G. Levy, DPM and Dana Lavian, DPM, FACFAS, advise that when a child complains of heel pain, it should be diagnosed promptly because it may be a warning sign of a serious foot problem.
Dr. Levy and Lavian are members of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, say heel pain occurs frequently in children ages six to 14 as their feet grow and the heel bone develops. “As children become more active in sports they increase their risk for growth-plate injuries and subsequent heel pain,” say Levy and Lavian. This is especially true at back-to-school time when surgeons see an increase in middle and high school athletes experiencing heel pain with football and soccer seasons simultaneously underway.
“New bone forms in an area behind the heel, known as the growth plate, and cartilage is vulnerable to severe inflammation from strain or stress. With repeated stresses and strains from over-activity, the heel becomes very painful,” Levy and Lavian explain.
Even though growth-plate trauma is the leading cause of heel pain in young people, Dr. Levy and Lavian say the condition can be difficult to diagnose. Both cautions that parents should be concerned if a child has pain in the back or bottom of the heel, limps, walks on the toes, or seems to have difficulty participating in normal recreational activities. The condition is diagnosed by a thorough examination of the child’s feet and legs and possibly medical imaging tests to rule out other serious causes of heel pain, such as bursitis, tendonitis and fractures.
In most cases, mild or moderate heel pain can be treated successfully with shoe inserts to soften the impact on the heel, anti-inflammatory medications, stretching and physical therapy. In severe cases, the foot and ankle will be immobilized in a cast and in some instances surgery may be necessary.
For more information, contact Dana Lavian, D.P.M. and Leslie G. Levy, D.P.M. office at 661-254-0795. Leslie G. Levy, D.P.M. and Dana Lavian, D.P.M. are board certified in foot and ankle surgery and earned their podiatric medical degree from Podiatric Medical School. They both have been practicing in Valencia for 20 years.