Heel Pain & Severs Disease in Youth Athletes

[@Nedmac320]

Thanks for the video! I have a gymnast with Sever’s and after taking a break due to Covid, the pain was nearly gone. Still careful with impact but having the awareness and knowledge helps. I’m having trouble reading what’s written on the whiteboard but that might be because the screen I’m watching this on is kinda small…

[@shiftmovement]

Sorry to hear that, I try to add whatever is written on the board as text on the screen so you won't miss anything written.

[@CarolineStewartGymnast]

Found massage very beneficial.

[@shiftmovement]

That's great to hear!

[@lacypratt3981]

Would love more specific mobility exercises and stretches.

[@shiftmovement]

Thank you for the suggestion and feedback!

[@JyothiPottabathula]

Found the video very useful, my son is suffering from this due to tennis, he is 10yrs old. Would you suggest swimming as an alternative to keep him active while giving his bone healing time?

[@sprxzs5304]

Do you have any videos helping for shin splints? My shins kill me on vault and I have tried a lot of stretches.

[@shiftmovement]

Thanks for the suggestion! We will definitely do that video for you in future.

[@iliveatgym]

Would love to know if there’s anything we as coaches can do to decrease the rate of this. We do our best to reduce impact in off season and only do hard landings during season a once or twice a week but it still seems like almost every kid we have who grows significantly in a short period of time ends up with Sever’s and I’d love to know if there’s something we could do either before it happens or right at the beginning when they first mention that their heel is hurting.

[@shiftmovement]

Great question! It's really tough, as there are so many factors. You're definitely off to a good start with trying to keep an eye on impact during off-season, and watching the hard landings. I think one of the best things people can do is track growth. If you keep a monthly tracking sheet looking at standing height, sitting height, and wingspan it can give you a heads up to when someone may be approaching a bit of growth spurt. Then, you can chat about how someone is feeling and see if they have the start of any issues. Tracking growth, communicating, and having a really great lower body strength program are all important! Hope that helps.

[@aliciabertoni-hickey7755]

Great video. Is there any specific product you recommend for compression?

[@shiftmovement]

I usually tell people to just go for generic compression socks/boots or ace bandage, but if you want to invest in something a bit fancier Skinz are a great brand or compression clothing!

[@Horhey10]

Have had heel issues for 7 months now. Wasn’t fasciitis, maybe Baxters nerve entrapment, but is not 100% better. Could it be this? I’ve gone to a podiatrist and chiropractor. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[@lovepandas]

Is there any possible correlation between the equipment and the prevalence of severs? I've briefly seen theories of the frequency of the springs on floor possible affecting the rate of occurrence, or perhaps hard vault runs--essentially carpet on hard ground. Should we limit/modify according to the equipment too?

[@shiftmovement]

Great question! While I think that is possible, I'm not sure we have any concrete evidence that a certain type of spring floors might predispose issues. I'm also not an expert in biomechanical engineering to really suggest anything. I think in general, some scientists have suggested that the spring floor mechanism itself might have high vibration forces that young gymnasts struggle with. Just sharing some ideas, hope that helps!

[@luci.ashton]

I really feel like I need to take a break as I have had this for a couple years and the pain is on and off however at the moment when I tumble (gymnast) the pain is really bad and even now when I am just walking I feel like I am limping a bit as it is hurting however I don’t know how to tell my coach

[@shiftmovement]

I'm so sorry to hear that! It can be really frustrating and definitely painful. Sounds like taking some time off is definitely warranted. In relation to your coach, I would suggest scheduling time outside of practice to have a conversation with them as well as your parents (if you are younger) to really break down the situation. Best of luck!

[@jeanettekotch4733]

Please, please, please have your gymnast, athletes or child see a pediatric sports provider as adult treatment of heel pain is way different than kids.

[@shiftmovement]

Yes, I couldn't agree more! So important to get age-specific providers on board who have a really good understanding of different issues.

[@doctordef324]

Just do your damn research! Duh!!🙄

[@paigecokerheiman6801]

Thanks, Dave for all of your content! #SHIFT24Club

[@shiftmovement]

Congratulations Paige, you are this weeks #SHIFT24Club winner! Please send Dave your question through direct message on Instagram @shift_movementscience and make sure you mention that you're this weeks #SHIFT24Club winner! :)

[@Grzegorz_Wiecek]

My son 8 years old have sympomts of sever's Disease. He is playing soccer for almost 2 years. When he back from school about three weeks ago he told that left foot on heel is in pain beacuse he had some lite accident involving running with friends. Two days later he played in soccer tourment as goalkeeper because. After that 7 days of limping and the pain go away. We had doctor to see it but it was okay. After that he took 1.5h practice and the pain was back. 13 days from last practice, 20 days from the first problems. We had x-ray and tommorow we Have a consultation with kid surgeon. No activity, no pt beacuse the heel still pains when touched. He can walk on toes. We are waiting on what doctor says but we Have doing little ice and some anty pain medicine. We heard that epsom salt can do good things. Any other advices?

[@shiftmovement]

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about what is going on with your son. Unfortunately it's always hard to give specific advice on these things without a full assessment. That said, usually a combination of time away from impact, specific calf flexibility work, rebuilding strength, and being careful not to put too much pressure on the heel bone while things are healing is important. It cab be hard, but it is often a game of patience and letting things calm down. Best of luck!

[@Grzegorz_Wiecek]

@@shiftmovement it has gone 4 mpnth now. The pain is less anyoing (he can walk easy with special designed for him heel cups). But he can't play or run because of the pain after it. The physio told that the problem can last for a year or more. We have special massage program to do it in home. Maybe after new year it will be better.

[@shiftmovement]

@@Grzegorz_Wiecek Hmm yes that is definitely tricky! Unfortunately it can take time as the ongoing growth makes it tough to acclimate. Sorry to hear he is struggling but I wish you the best!

[@dynamicdanam3644]

😊😊

[@lacypratt3981]

Would love more specific mobility and rehab exercises.

[@shiftmovement]

Thank you for the suggestion and feedback!