Heel Pain in Kids and Teens: It's Usually Not Plantar Fasciitis

When an active kid complains of heel pain, parents often assume plantar fasciitis. In children and young teens, it's usually something else — and the distinction matters.

Meet Sever's disease

Sever's disease (calcaneal apophysitis) is irritation of the heel bone's growth plate, which stays open until roughly age 14–15. During growth spurts, bones lengthen faster than calf muscles, so the Achilles pulls hard on the growth plate — and sports full of running and jumping (soccer, basketball, gymnastics) inflame it. It's the most common cause of heel pain in athletes aged 8–14.

Sever's vs plantar fasciitis: the tells

• Sever's: pain at the back or squeeze-sides of the heel, worse during and after sport, often both feet, ages 8–14, limping after practice.
• Plantar fasciitis: pain under the heel, worst with first morning steps — genuinely uncommon before the late teens.

Helping a young athlete

1. Manage load, don't quit. Trim practice volume during flares; Sever's resolves permanently once the growth plate closes — the goal is comfortable participation until then.
2. Stretch those calves daily. The growth-spurt tightness is the driver — gentle versions of these stretches help.
3. Cushion the heel. Heel cups or cushioned insoles reduce impact on the growth plate. (Muna insoles start at men's size 4 — suitable for many teens, sized to the shoe.)
4. Ice after sport on flare days (how).
5. See a professional for limping that persists, night pain, swelling, or pain after an acute injury — growth-plate fractures exist and need imaging.

General information, not medical advice. Kids' persistent pain always deserves a professional look.