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Sever’s Disease
A Guide to the Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment
How to determine if your child’s heel pain is caused by Sever’s Disease

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 What is Sever’s Disease? 2

Sever’s disease is an inflammation of

the growth plate in the heel.

It is the most common cause of heel

pain in children and results from a
dramatic growth spurt when the heel
bone grows at a faster rate than the
muscles and tendons surrounding it.

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Causes of Sever’s Disease 3

Sever's disease is caused by

repetitive stress to the heel
during a growth spurt when the
child's heel bone is growing
faster than the muscles,
tendons, and ligaments in their
leg. Sever's is most common in
active children who participate
in sports, especially ones with
running or jumping.

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 Increased Risk of Sever’s Disease 4

The following conditions may increase your child’s chances of developing Sever’s disease.

1 A pronated foot, or a foot that rolls at the ankle when walking. This may cause a twisting and
tightness of the Achilles tendon, which increases the pull on the heel’s growth plate.

2 High or flat arches, which can affect the heel’s angle within the foot.

3 Being overweight or suffering from obesity, which may put additional pressure on the growth plate.

4 Short leg syndrome. This is when one leg is shorter than the other one. Thus forcing the shorter leg to
bend down in order to reach the ground.

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 Symptoms of Sever’s Disease 5

Tenderness or pain in either one or both

heels is the most obvious sign of Sever’s
disease.

This usually occurs in the back. However, it

is possible for the pain to also go down the
sides and the bottom of the heel, right
around the arch of the foot.

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 Other Symptoms May Include 6

Difficulty with walking

Discomfort if the heel is squeezed on both sides

Redness or swelling of the heel

When walking, the feet are stiff or discomforted

Walking unusually, to avoid putting pressure on the heel by

walking on one’s tiptoes or with a limp.

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 Sever’s Disease Treatment 7

• The primary concern of treating this disease

is to relieve the pain. Since activity tends to
make the symptoms worse, the main
treatment is to rest. This will relieve the
pressure on the heel bone and decrease the
swelling while reducing pain.
• The doctor will usually direct the child to cut
back on all activities and sports until the
swelling goes down and the pain is gone

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 Other Recommendations for Treating Sever’s 8

Do leg and foot exercises that focus on strengthening and stretching leg tendons and muscles.

Use a compression stocking – to decrease swelling and pain.

Elevate the leg and apply ice (not directly to the skin). Do this for twenty minutes up to three times a
day. It should be done even on days when the pain is not bad. This will help reduce the swelling.

Ingest over-the-counter medications that focus on reducing swelling and pain. These include
acetaminophen like Tylenol or ibuprofen like Advil and Motrin, not aspirin.

Overweight or Obese Children – the odds are good that the doctor will recommend a weight loss
regimen in order to decrease the pressure on the heel.

If your child has a severe case of Sever’s disease, the doctor may want him or her to wear a cast
between 2 to 12 weeks. This will immobilize the foot so it has a better chance of healing.

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If a child is suffering
from pediatric heel pain that
affects both the bottom and
back of the heel, then they
may have a condition called
Sever’s Disease.  PediatricFootAnkle.com.
Conclusion
If you would like to schedule
an appointment, or learn
more about Sever’s Disease,
call (480) 534-7220 or visit
www. pediatricfootankle.com
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Pediatric Foot & Ankle
provides pediatric podiatry
services to patients in
Phoenix, Arizona. The team
treats a wide array of
children's foot ailments,
including conditions they're
prone to due to rapid growth,
such as Sever's disease and
pediatric heel pain.