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leg stretches "heel" pain of foot complaint

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Podiatrist Anne-Maree Hanrick has noticed an increase in little athletes hobbling into her Toowoomba clinic with a common, yet preventable disease.

Sever’s Disease affects young people aged between 10 and 14 years and refers to an injury to the bone growth plate at the back of the heel bone.

The calf muscle and the Achilles tendon pull on the heel bone, causing a stabbing pain at the site of the growth plate. It mostly afflicts active youngsters who play sport on the weekends and at school, as well as those who participate in daily physical activities or training sessions. And with the winter sports yet to kick off, Ms Hanrick is alarmed at the rate of youngsters affected with Sever’s Disease at this time of the year.

The good news is that the debilitating condition can be prevented and treated.

“Prevention lies in adequate stretching and not just before and after sports,” Ms Hanrick said.

“This is in addition to adequate footwear. Most kids are starting up sports again after spending most of their school holidays in things. They then get into football boots which are generally a flat shoe with no heel lift.”

“All of this causes the muscles at the base of the heel to pull.”

Ms Hanrick hopes to make parents more aware of the condition and not to brush off their child’s pain. She recommends daily stretching of the calf muscles to prevent the instance of Sever’s Disease, as well as rest and the fitting of correct footwear with raised heels to treat the condition.

The Chronicle – Anthea Gleeson Wednesday March 3, 2010