Sever’s Disease
What is Severs Disease?
Sever’s Disease is a common cause of heel pain that occurs between the ages of 7 and 15 years.
As children grow, their bones get longer and this causes the muscles to get tighter. When the calf muscles on the back of the leg get tighter, they pull on the heel through the Achilles tendon.
Bone is softer in young people, and the repetitive strong pull of the Achilles tendon can cause the bone to become in flamed, and in severe cases even pull some of the bone away.
How long does Sever's Disease last?
Sever’s Disease is a “self limiting” condition. This means that Sever’s Disease will eventually go away in time as the child’s bones become firmer and the muscles grow to catch up with the bones. However, this may take up to 2 years, and if left untreated symptoms may progressively get worse during this time.
A physiotherapist can treat some of the factors causing the pain in Sever’s Disease and dramatically reduce the time to recover.
Treatment for Heel Pain / Sever's Disease
Physiotherapy treatment aims to address some of the factors contributing to the pain in Sever’s Disease.
Your physiotherapist may use some of the following methods:
Massage:
The calf muscles are commonly tight in younger people. Deep massage of the calf muscles will reduce tension in these muscles and decrease the force of pull on the heel.
Ice:
Ice is a very effective way to reduce in ammation. An ice pack should be placed on the heel for 15 minutes. In the early stages of the disease, you should try to ice you heel up to 3 times a day.
Heel Wedges / Orthotics:
By inserting a heel wedge into your shoes, the tension placed on the heel through the Achilles tendon is dramatically reduced. This will improve symptoms quite rapidly. In some cases, the biomechanics of the foot can contribute to the amount of tension at the heel. In these cases an orthotic device may be required to correct the problem.
Activity Modi fication:
To allow the heel to rest, your physiotherapist will advise you to modify your activities and sports. Complete rest is not usually required, but you may have to back off with training or sacrifice playing one of your sports for your heel to improve.
Stretches:
Your physiotherapist will prescribe you with some stretches to try to lengthen the calf muscles, and reduce the tension on the heel from the Achilles tendon. It is important that you complete 3 lots of 30 second holds of each stretch, 3 times a day.
Download PDF Fact Sheet
Click the following link to download the Sever's Disease article as PDF. Click here to download.
Need further assessment?
If you think you or your child may be suffering from Sever's Disease, seek professional hle today by making an initial appointment at your nearest Back In Motion physiotherapy practice.