Move without pain
Book an assessment todayThe most common cause of heel pain in children aged 8–14. It's caused by irritation of the growing heel — and while it's self-limiting, the right plan gets your child comfortable and back to sport sooner.
Where Sever’s disease is felt
Edge of the heel bone. Irritation of the growing heel, the most common cause of heel pain in children aged 8 to 14.
Does this sound like you?
Sever's disease (calcaneal apophysitis) isn't really a disease — it's an overuse irritation of the growth plate at the back of a child's heel. During growth spurts the heel bone grows faster than the calf muscles and tendons, so the growth plate gets tugged and compressed, especially with running and jumping.
It's very common in active 8–14 year-olds and typically flares during busy sport seasons. The reassuring news for parents: it's self-limiting — it resolves as the growth plate matures — and it responds well to simple management in the meantime.
Our job is to settle the pain, keep your child active where possible, and rule out anything else.
The right combination of tools for your feet — not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
A squeeze test and history confirm Sever's and rule out other causes — with a clear explanation for you and your child.
We modify (not stop) sport and add calf stretching and strengthening to settle the growth plate.
Simple in-shoe heel raises and cushioning reduce the tug on the growth plate and ease pain quickly.
Supportive footwear — and orthoses where foot mechanics are contributing.
A staged plan to get your child comfortable and back to full sport as symptoms settle.
We track progress through the season and adjust as your child grows.
Yes. Sever's resolves once the heel growth plate finishes developing (usually by the mid-teens). Treatment is about keeping your child comfortable and active in the meantime.
Usually yes, in a modified way. We rarely stop sport completely — we adjust load and add heel raises and stretching so your child can keep playing with less pain.
With the right management most flare-ups settle over a few weeks to a couple of months, though it can grumble during busy sport periods until growth finishes.
Usually not. Sever's is diagnosed clinically, largely with a heel squeeze test. Imaging is only needed if the diagnosis is unclear.
