Children at a young age will get heel pain; it is usually caused by an interruption or a change in what we call a growth plate in the bones of the foot. A growth plate is an area of a bone that matures as a child grows older. This growth plate is an area where two seperate bones exist when we are born, and as we mature the plate or the interfaces between both bones join and the two bones fuse to become one bone.
When patients that are young get heel pain; the diagnosis for this problem is calcaneal (heel bone) apophysitis. Treatment for this usually starts off with an x-ray. Once the diagnosis is established, a heel cup usually helps, but many times we recommend a conservative approach such as icing and biofreeze to be applied several times a day. If simple treatments do not provide relief, a custom made orthotic device in sneakers is recommended.
Mitchell Wachtel, DPM is a podiatrist with offices located in Lowell, Methuen, Bradford and North Andover in Massachusetts