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If your children are involved in sports or enjoy outdoor activities that are hard on their feet, it’s important to be on the lookout for overuse injuries. Bones, ligaments and tendons in kids’ feet and ankles aren’t fully developed yet, and damage can occur when they are stressed from hours of playing sports.
The following are some common overuse injuries that can occur in children’s feet and ankles.
- Heel growth plate inflammation is a common sports-related condition in children until the ages of 13 to 16, when their bones are still maturing. Inflammation occurs due to muscle strain and repetitive stress.
- Achilles tendonitisis an overuse injury occurring mainly in adolescents over 14 in which the Achilles is stressed and inflamed from repeated running and pounding.
- Tendo-Achilles bursitis is an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac located between the Achilles tendon and the heel bone.
- Plantar fasciitis is heel pain caused by inflammation of the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, from the heel to the toes.
- Stress fractures are hairline breaks resulting from repeated stress on the bone. Children with lingering, nagging heel pain have been found to be playing through stress fractures. These fractures can be subtle and don’t always show up on x-rays. Letting them go untreated can lead to extended time away from playing.
No Such Thing as “Growing Pains”
Some kids will insist on continuing to play their sport even when they’re in pain. Parents should never allow this to happen! Continuing to play with an injury can result in problems that may plague your child into adulthood.
, and there are no such things as “growing pains.” Any pain that lasts more than a few days, or that is severe enough to limit the child’s walking, should be evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon.
Help Your Child Avoid Overuse Injuries
To avoid the above injuries and ensure your children fully and safely enjoy their activities, following these precautions.
- Provide the correct shoe for each type of sport. Basketball shoes will protect the feet and ankles in the side-to-side motions of that sport, while running shoes cushion and stabilize the foot from repeated pounding on a track.
- NEVER allow a child to use hand-me-down shoes!
- Make sure shoes are well constructed and support the foot adequately. Have them professionally fitted.
- Limit wearing of cleated shoes to the time actually spent on the field. These shoes are not supportive, and cleats may cause increased pressure on soles of the feet.
- Avoid activities that are beyond your child’s ability.
- If your child is overweight, help him or her to shed those extra pounds. Extra weight puts additional stress on the feet.
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