Heel Pain Relief: What Worked For Us

Do your kids get heel pain? My youngest son used to get soreness in his heels when he played baseball. It wasn’t very often but then it started to increase in frequency to where he’d feel discomfort after any type of running or jumping, even after recess and P.E. at school. Poor guy trying to be tough would only complain from time to time, but I could tell his heels were bugging him when he was at bat, or running to his position on the field.

We did alleviate the symptoms with Ibuprofen, but I didn’t want to do that too often. The heel pain continued into the football season, I knew we had to see his Pediatrician.

He was already under treatment for a knee injury, so we asked his Doctor about the heels and he said he’s likely got Sever’s Disease, an inflammation of the heel due to repetitive stress. DUH! That made perfect sense! With all the sports and constant duress he puts his feet under, he was bound to get aches and tenderness in his heels.

The doc recommended only wearing his cleats when needed. Taking them off in between games, or immediately after practices (no more going to the post-game pizza parties in cleats!). He keeps these sports sandals in his bat bag now. Dr. also suggested we look into gel heel cups, any type would do, he said.

Well alright! So I high-tailed it to the local sports store and picked up 2 pairs of heel cups. One for his cleats, and the other for his turfs (regular tennis shoes). We chose Spenco Heel Cups, honestly because they were the only brand the store carried.

And wouldn’t ya know…IT TOTALLY WORKED (cue the angels singing)!!

It’s been 6 months with no pain in his heels! He runs and jumps with no problems whatsoever.

These heel cups live in his shoes and cleats 100% of the time. They grip well inside footwear and are rinsed clean as needed (a lot).

Ya know us moms love to consult Google for things. Even when a medical professional gives advice, I always do my own research (for good measure ha, ha). It seems the internet also suggests paying attention to brands when buying footwear. The buzz around New Balance is that it offers great arch support, therefore relieving stress from the heels. So, in addition to heel cups, we bought him these New Balance cleats, and turf shoes

I highly recommend getting a proper medical diagnosis, and if heel cups are needed, try these!

For more ideas on how to relieve heel pain in young athletes, check out 10 Ways to Ease Heel Pain.

Does your kid have foot discomfort from sports? What has worked to relieve heel pain in your child?

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