What causes Severs disease?

Severs disease is the common name for a problem which should be termed calcaneal apophysitis. It really shouldn't be known as Severs “disease” since it is not a disease. It is just a self limiting condition of the growth plate in the heel bone of kids which always goes away completely by itself eventually without long term issues. This can be a extremely frequent disorder in kids about ages 10 to 12 years and if you ask a number of children of that age if they have it or have a friend who may have had it, then the majority of them will probably say yes. There exists a growth plate at the back of the heel bone in which growth of that heel bone happens at. The achilles tendon attaches to that growth plate, so it is just not difficult to note that plenty of force is placed on that growing area, especially if the child is overweight or busy in sports activity. Severs disease is simply a strain of the growing region at the back of the heel. The growing area merges with the remainder of the heel bone by the early teenage years, so it is just not feasible for it to be a issue beyond that.

Whilst Severs disease is self-limiting and they'll grow out of this, it is painful and can cause distress so does have to be managed. The best method is to commence with education regarding the disorder and the way to deal with activity loads to help keep it under control. It is common to use ice on the heel after sport to help manage the discomfort. Cushioned gel heel pads are frequently useful and may make it more bearable so they can continue with sport. If you can find biomechanical problems, then appropriate foot orthotics may be needed to improve that. The main part of the treatment is merely managing the loads. Kids of this age want to be active and engage in sports activity, which means this is often a problem.