Solving children’s foot pain

Posted on: 6 July 2016

Ballet is a discipline that places a lot of strain on the feet, involving standing, moving around and jumping. If your daughter complains about having heel pain after a ballet class, it may simply be that she has strained her foot in the class, or even bruised her heel. There is a possibility, though, that there may be another underlying cause that should not be left untreated.

Identify the cause of the pain

There are five possible causes of heel pain in a child:

• Bruising of the heel
• A fracture
• Sever's disease
• Achilles tendonitis
• Plantar fasciitis

Bruised heel

When your daughter complains about having a sore heel, ask her if she landed too hard in the class, or perhaps the day before as the bruising may take a number of hours to manifest. It may also be possible that she jumped off a slight height and landed on a hard surface at school or during playtime.

A fracture

It is possible to fracture a bone in the foot without necessarily undergoing a severe accident. Even a slight fracture can cause quite a lot of pain. This is unlikely to have occurred in the ballet class, but may have happened when your daughter was playing.

Sever's disease

Sever's disease is the term given to a condition when a child develops chronic pain in the heel caused by the inflammation of the heel growth plate.  It affects more boys than girls, usually between the ages of five and eleven. The condition is usually the result of over-stressing the heel due to too much exercise.

Achilles tendonitis

If your daughter begins a new, more intense ballet programme, or changes her style of dancing, she may strain her Achilles tendon and it will become inflamed. This is a progressive condition that begins with mild pain, but can become quite severe if untreated.

Plantar fasciitis

This is a condition where the tendon that runs along the sole of the foot can become irritated due to over use. It is an unusual condition in children, but can occur when a child is involved in activities like ballet that involve a lot of jumping.

Treat the pain

The most important treatment for any form of heel pain is rest. If your daughter has simply bruised her heel, then this will be for a short period. If the pain/condition is severe enough, though, then she may need to avoid doing ballet for a longer period. Your doctor may also prescribe anti-inflammatories for a short time to reduce the pain. Remember to make sure that your daughter has something to eat before taking this medication as it can affect the stomach.

When your daughter complains about heel pain, it is important that you pursue the cause. If the pain is untreated, it may lead to an injury becoming more severe and even to chronic pain, which will mean an extended absence from her ballet class.