Your child walks off the soccer field limping. They say it's only a sore heel, but the pain keeps coming back after training.
Is it just growing pains, or could there be a more specific reason?
One common explanation for heel pain in active children is Sever’s disease. It can be uncomfortable and frustrating, but there are practical ways to manage symptoms while supporting participation in the activities kids enjoy.
What is Sever’s disease?
Despite its name, Sever’s disease (also called calcaneal apophysitis) is not an infection. It describes irritation of the growth area at the back of the heel bone, near where the Achilles tendon attaches.
It typically affects active, growing children, often between about seven and fourteen years old. Running, jumping, kicking and sudden increases in activity can make the heel sore.
Management is about settling symptoms and adjusting the demands—not automatically stopping every activity.
Why does it happen?
There is rarely a single reason. Factors that may contribute to heel pain include:
Growth spurts
The heel’s growth area can be sensitive while bones and surrounding tissues develop.
Training load
More matches, running, jumping or back-to-back sport can increase stress on the heel.
Calf and ankle demands
Calf discomfort and ankle movement may influence which activities are comfortable.
Footwear and surfaces
Hard surfaces, studs or poorly cushioned shoes may make symptoms more noticeable.
Common symptoms parents notice
Important: Not every painful heel is Sever’s disease. If your child has difficulty bearing weight, significant swelling after an injury, fever, redness, night pain or unusual persistent symptoms, seek prompt medical assessment.
When should your child see a physiotherapist?
If heel pain keeps returning, affects walking or stops your child enjoying sport, an assessment can help clarify what is happening and whether another cause needs investigating.
At Adaptive Physiotherapy & Massage in Booragoon, our youth athlete physiotherapy service considers your child’s symptoms, development, sport, training schedule and goals before recommending a plan.
Many growing athletes also experience other sport-related problems around the knee. Our guide to Osgood-Schlatter disease and knee pain in young athletes explains another common growth-related condition.
How physiotherapy can help
Our aim is to make participation more manageable, support comfortable movement and help your child build back towards their usual activities where appropriate.
Assess the child, not just the heel
We review the pain history, walking, relevant strength and mobility, footwear and training demands. Other possible causes are considered rather than assuming the diagnosis.
Adjust activity sensibly
A temporary reduction in painful running or jumping may be useful. Less painful alternatives, such as cycling or swimming, may help maintain activity.
Use exercises at the right stage
Depending on symptoms, advice may include comfortable calf mobility, gradually progressed strengthening and later sport-specific movements.
Consider comfort strategies
Appropriate footwear, heel cushioning and other simple strategies may reduce discomfort. Hands-on treatment may be used for associated muscle symptoms when suitable, but it does not change the growth plate itself.
Guide the return to sport
Training is increased progressively as symptoms allow. For athletes needing a more structured progression, our sports rehabilitation program explains our broader approach to rebuilding movement and physical capacity.
Rest helps—but what happens next matters
Reducing painful activity can help the heel settle. However, an abrupt return to the same training schedule may trigger another flare-up while the growth plate is still developing.
During a flare-up
- Reduce or pause activities that provoke pain
- Consider comfortable, cushioned footwear
- Discuss symptom relief strategies with your clinician
- Keep suitable, less painful movement in the week
As symptoms improve
- Gradually increase running and jumping
- Build exercise tolerance at an appropriate pace
- Review weekly sport and training demands
- Adjust again if symptoms return
What to expect at Adaptive in Booragoon
We start by listening to the child and parent: what hurts, when it hurts, what sport means to them and what they want to return to. The plan may involve advice, modified activity, exercise and follow-up assessment.
We can coordinate with a coach where useful and with your permission. Our approach to sports physiotherapy is based on individualised care, managing load and progressively rebuilding capacity.
Massage can also be a separate option for general muscular discomfort where appropriate. Our kids and teens massage service is not a replacement for assessment of ongoing heel pain.
Common questions from parents
Can my child keep playing sport?
Sometimes, with modifications. If the pain causes limping or interferes with normal movement, they may need a temporary break from running or jumping. Decisions should be guided by symptoms and assessment.
How long does recovery take?
Symptoms often improve with changes to activity and simple care, but there is no reliable fixed four-to-eight-week deadline. Flare-ups may recur during growth and the overall course can last longer.
Will it come back?
It can return while the heel growth area is developing. Managing training demands and symptoms can help make flare-ups more manageable; the condition generally settles when growth finishes.
Can heel cups or insoles help?
They may improve comfort for some children. A clinician can advise whether heel cushioning, supportive footwear or another approach makes sense.
The bigger picture: helping kids keep doing what matters
For an active child, sport can be about friends, confidence, enjoyment and belonging—not just fitness. Managing heel pain is therefore about much more than the painful area.
Sever’s disease can be frustrating, but most children can work through it with sensible adjustments and support. We want children to understand their symptoms, build appropriate capacity and remain involved in the activities they love wherever possible.
Is your child limping or struggling with heel pain?
Our team can assess your child’s heel, discuss their training load and help create an individualised plan for activity and recovery.
General educational information, not a diagnosis. A clinician should assess persistent, severe or unusual heel symptoms. Individual treatment and sport participation depend on the child’s presentation.