Calcaneal Apophysitis is the medical term for what is more commonly known as Severs disease. This is a problem with the back of the heel in growing children. Calcaneal Apophysitis is the preferred term as it is not a disease and there is a trend away from naming medical conditions after people that first published about them. There is a growing area at the back of the heel bone that can get strained if the child is to active. This leads to pain at the back and sides of the heel and is more painful on activity. Children that are more active, have a higher body weight and have tight calf muscles are more likely to get this problem. This is no longer a problem after about the mid-teenage years as the growing area at the back of the heel bone merges with the rest of the bone.
As this condition is self-limiting, in that it gets better on its own eventually there is certainly a lot of debate surrounding the value of the treatments for it and how much of a difference those treatments make. The best treatment for calcaneal Apophysitis is simply rest and reassurance that it will get better. Cutting back on activity is always helpful, but that can be a difficult challenge in children at times. Getting them to apply ice after activity can help if the pain is too much. Sometimes a soft cushioning heel raise in the shoe can be of some help. Most of all the treatments involves just managing the levels of activity with some pain relief while the condition runs it course. The child needs to be reassured that this is the case. In the more severe cases, they may need to be put into a walking splint or plaster cast, not because the condition needs it, but because that can be the only way to convince the child to cut back on their activity levels.