Plantar Fasciitis/Heel pain

[MaryA]

My DD has a Dr.'s appointment on Friday. Her coach thinks she has plantar faciitis... she definitely has heel pain. Coach says that there's not much to do for it except for stretching and resting, but Kathy has a check-up on Friday anyway, so I'm going to mention it. Kath is TERRIFIED that the Dr. will tell her she has to take a break from gymnastics and then she'll have to repeat level 5 next year and LIFE AS WE KNOW IT WILL BE OVER (or that's the way she makes it sound). I did just get her a pair of those "shock socks" that were mentioned on this site, but they just came yesterday, so today was her first day trying them.

She's had heel pain occasionally practically since she started gymnastics (never seemed to reach the stage of being doctor-worthy) and I guess I'm not surprised that they're bothering her now because of all of those level-6 tucks that she's working on... seems like you'd come down pretty hard on your heels doing those.

So, NOT looking for medical advice, and I did find one other older thread about heel pain that I flipped through, but I'm just wondering what experiences you/your gymnast have had with heel pain. Did you see (or take your child to see) a dr? What was the diagnosis? What was the treatment? DID you/your child have to take time off from gymnastics? DID the world end?

Thanks in advance!

 

[NGL780309]

No advice, but sorry to hear. Hope she feels better soon.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

go to the doc and confirm what's already assumed. go back to gym and modify training. doc says take 6 months off? go back to gym and modify training. find new doc...

 

[MaryA]

Thanks, Dunno... Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what exactly is involved in modifying training? No floor? Less floor? Floor only until it starts to hurt? Or should I just assume that the coaches know what is involved in modifying training and not worry about it? When I came in to the gym today, Kathy was practicing front tucks. The next time I looked up, the rest of her group was still tumbling but Kath was standing on a foam block stretching her heel (which was my first indication that it was really bothering her because it takes a lot to get her to stop) so clearly the coach is already aware and making some modifications.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the coaches will know what to do. you said as much above with Kath on a foam block stretching.

 

[gymjourneymom]

Our family has had a lot of experience with this & I wanted to let you to know there are other things to consider. There maybe other contributing factors causing heel pain or plantar fasciitis, not just the pounding she does at the gym. The physical make up of her feet and the type of shoes she wears can be two contributing factors also.

The structure of her feet, arches & her gait should be assessed by a professional. Flip flops & Ugg boots/clogs are doing a lot of damage to young kid's feet. These types of foot wear have no support in them at all. It's not just the hours in the gym that effect our kids feet, but what they wear on them all the rest of the day too.

My DD tends to over pronate when she walks. Custom orthotics & tennis shoes with extra stablity & support built in New Balance KJ860SB | Girls' - Silver/Blue - FREE SHIPPING at OnlineShoes.com have been a life saver( or saver from surgery I should say) in our family. Those things, along with PT to teach proper stretching(there are many specific excerises that help this area) are somethings you might want to discuss with the doctor. Good luck! Hope your DD gets relief from her pain soon!


PS- I would take her to a podiatrist, not just a general pediatrician for their opinion. Plantar fasciitis can be an acute( 1 time thing) or a chronic condition. A podiatrist will know the best way to treat either.

 

[justanothergymmom]

My DD has a Dr.'s appointment on Friday. Her coach thinks she has plantar faciitis... she definitely has heel pain. Coach says that there's not much to do for it except for stretching and resting, but Kathy has a check-up on Friday anyway, so I'm going to mention it. Kath is TERRIFIED that the Dr. will tell her she has to take a break from gymnastics and then she'll have to repeat level 5 next year and LIFE AS WE KNOW IT WILL BE OVER (or that's the way she makes it sound). I did just get her a pair of those "shock socks" that were mentioned on this site, but they just came yesterday, so today was her first day trying them.

She's had heel pain occasionally practically since she started gymnastics (never seemed to reach the stage of being doctor-worthy) and I guess I'm not surprised that they're bothering her now because of all of those level-6 tucks that she's working on... seems like you'd come down pretty hard on your heels doing those.

So, NOT looking for medical advice, and I did find one other older thread about heel pain that I flipped through, but I'm just wondering what experiences you/your gymnast have had with heel pain. Did you see (or take your child to see) a dr? What was the diagnosis? What was the treatment? DID you/your child have to take time off from gymnastics? DID the world end?

Thanks in advance!

Both of my girls have had heel pain from Sever's (both traumatic and growth related) and have been seen numerous times by pediatric sport med ortho dr. From time to time, both have had to modify training (specifically tumbling on hard surfaces and vaulting) when they have flare-ups from this condition. The world still has not ended-lol-and they have both progressed just fine even with these breaks and training modifications. Lot of stretching and icing has helped them.

Good luck to your dd. Finding out why she is having pain (by seeing a dr) is the 1st step in getting better. It sounds like her coaches are taking the right approach so far. And tell your dd that a short break from tumbling and vaulting is not the end of the world and that she will end up with killer bars from all the extra bar training she will have time for

 

[MaryA]

And tell your dd that a short break from tumbling and vaulting is not the end of the world and that she will end up with killer bars from all the extra bar training she will have time for

Actually, if there's anything she NEEDS extra practice on, it's bars! Of course, it's hear least favorite event so the idea of mostly doing bars does not make her happy. But maybe with some extra time on it she will gain confidence and start to like it more. A silver lining!

 

[MaryA]

Our family has had a lot of experience with this & I wanted to let you to know there are other things to consider. There maybe other contributing factors causing heel pain or plantar fasciitis, not just the pounding she does at the gym. The physical make up of her feet and the type of shoes she wears can be two contributing factors also.

The structure of her feet, arches & her gait should be assessed by a professional. Flip flops & Ugg boots/clogs are doing a lot of damage to young kid's feet. These types of foot wear have no support in them at all. It's not just the hours in the gym that effect our kids feet, but what they wear on them all the rest of the day too.

My DD tends to over pronate when she walks. Custom orthotics & tennis shoes with extra stablity & support built in New Balance KJ860SB | Girls' - Silver/Blue - FREE SHIPPING at OnlineShoes.com have been a life saver( or saver from surgery I should say) in our family. Those things, along with PT to teach proper stretching(there are many specific excerises that help this area) are somethings you might want to discuss with the doctor. Good luck! Hope your DD gets relief from her pain soon!


PS- I would take her to a podiatrist, not just a general pediatrician for their opinion. Plantar fasciitis can be an acute( 1 time thing) or a chronic condition. A podiatrist will know the best way to treat either.

Thanks for this. I will ask about getting a referral to a podiatrist. Kathy generally wears pretty decent shoes (I would rather splurge on a few good pairs of shoes every year than buy bunch of crappy ones) but the challenge will be getting her to wear shoes in the summer. It may be that the increased heel pain is coming as much from her going barefoot more often as it does form the tucks.

 

[gymjourneymom]

Thanks for this. I will ask about getting a referral to a podiatrist. Kathy generally wears pretty decent shoes (I would rather splurge on a few good pairs of shoes every year than buy bunch of crappy ones) but the challenge will be getting her to wear shoes in the summer. It may be that the increased heel pain is coming as much from her going barefoot more often as it does form the tucks.

Going bare foot is a no-no with plantar fasciitis, the foot needs proper support to heal & stay pain free. And I've found that some really expensive shoes still might not have the right kind of support. You really have to look at how the foot bed is structured. Birkenstock sandals have a good supportive foot bed for people with heel pain. New Balance(the brand most often recommended by MD's for people with foot pain), or whatever brand tennis shoes from Kohl's, usually aren't made with the same quality as those from a running store or the ones in the link I included earlier. I found this out the hard way! It's best to get the proper fit & support in a shoe for your gait & foot structure from a professional( I took DD to a local running store on our MD's recommendation). Glad you are taking her to the doctor to get a diagnosis. I don't know anything about heel Sever's that justanothergymmom referred to, so there are many things that need to get checked out. If you get a diagnosis of Plantar Facsiitis PM me. I maybe about to give some tips, since we've been there & survived that. Good luck & keep us posted.

 

[justanothergymmom]

I don't know anything about heel Sever's that justanothergymmom referred to, so there are many things that need to get checked out.

I am not a doctor, I am justanothergymmom but the way it was explained to me, growth related Sever's (pronounced SEE-VERS) occurs when the bones grow quicker than the tendons. Not every child grows this way~my girls just seem to be the lucky ones With certain types of activity, the tendons (and calf muscles) then have to stretch further, and can become inflamed and put extra strain on the calcaneous. My daughters almost always have a flare-up during growth spurts. Traumatic Sever's can occur when the tendons are over-stretched due to something like landing short on a back layout.

 

[MaryA]

I am not a doctor, I am justanothergymmom but the way it was explained to me, growth related Sever's (pronounced SEE-VERS) occurs when the bones grow quicker than the tendons. Not every child grows this way~my girls just seem to be the lucky ones With certain types of activity, the tendons (and calf muscles) then have to stretch further, and can become inflamed and put extra strain on the calcaneous. My daughters almost always have a flare-up during growth spurts. Traumatic Sever's can occur when the tendons are over-stretched due to something like landing short on a back layout.

Thanks for telling me how to pronouce it because, when I ask about it, I would have pronounced it wrong!

 

[justanothergymmom]

Thanks for telling me how to pronouce it because, when I ask about it, I would have pronounced it wrong!

LOL! It sounds much more serious when pronounced with a short e...

 

[MaryA]

LOL! It sounds much more serious when pronounced with a short e...

Yes... as if something has been cut off!

 

[bluesocks]

I have dealt with plantar fascitis for a long time as an adult. Stretching is key!

The best shoes for my pain are fit flops. I wear them all the time in the house (have one pair for the house only) and then from about April to October I always wear them, I just buy the ones with sparkles for work!

Also, acupuncture can help as well.

blue

 

[gymjourneymom]

Never heard of Fit Flops bluesocks. I just Googled them & they look stylish & supportive! Thanks for the tip!

 

[purplesunflowers]

My DD who is 8 also had Sever's, heel pain associated with the inflammation of the growth plate. We used the cheetah Heel Protection, Tulis Cheetah! Sold one heel pad per package.

and it worked really well for her. Her coaches also had her warm up on the trampoline when it was really bad instead of run. I also bought a dedicated pair of shoes for gymnastics and put a gel heel cup in them for her to run.

OUR podiatrist told us to NOT take time off, because it would just make it harder for her to come back. He said that it wasn't damaging to her in any way. I actually saw *3* different podiatrists to make sure that the diagnosis was correct (and I was worried.) DD was also in Soccer at the time, and I was told that actually it was the cleats that probably caused it. Cleats are horrible for Sever's. If your DD has tight calfs, that might be a problem down the road... make sure she is GENTLY stretching on stairs (dropping her heel) and stretching well at gymnastics.

 

[purplesunflowers]

Oh, and all will not be lost... DD wore this last fall and then she was all better after awhile. she has not needed the gel pads in her shoes and has not needed the cheetah for months now. Our podiatrist says that this may come and go until she's about 13 and the growth plate solidifies. Another fun option for this heel pain... http://www.skechers.com/style/82991/pretty-talls-silver-spark/wmn we were told that "high heels" were a good way to take the pressure off her heel since it is being pulled by the calf muscle. So, I bought her these "high heel" tennis shoes and they also really helped. Good luck! If it IS Sever's, she'll be fine. Sever's is very common in gymnastics, I'm surprised the coach said Plantar. If she's in a LOT of pain, have her do the floor skills on the tumble track or add a sting mat. If you do buy the cheetah's, buy 2 at once so one can air out in between

 

[Blackie6]

I am not familiar w/ Plantar faciatis but this sounds alot like it could be Sever's. My DD has been dealing with this since age 7 (she is 10 now) and there are good days and bad days. Like mentioned above it is due to growth of the body but not the muscles/tendons that extend into the heel. The area can become inflamed with growth spurts or sometimes the excessive pounding our kiddos take being that gymnastics is a year round sport. My daughter has the tulli cheetah heel cup for practice & also the inserts for her sneakers. Bare foot, flip flops and crocs are a no no, no support. Stretches need to be done all the time, expecially before practice. On the bad days she plunges her heel/foot into a bowl of ice water. Vaulting is particularly painful for most w/ Sever's. It's just something she has learned to live/work with. Good Luck!

 

[sally]

I had that on both my feet. Very painful. The doctor gave me some tablets which broke the spurs down. I would also suggest massage. Get something hard that she can roll her feet over as that can help break down the spur as well. It can take a long time to heal, and they can come back. The other thing that gymjourney mum said that isn't always the case and I have very good shoes and orthotics and still I had them. Just one of those thing. Good luck with it