Sever's Disease Treatment

Sever’s Disease

Sever’s Disease refers to an irritation of the growth plate on the calcaneus or heel bone. It is pictured in the image below courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The irritation occurs due the achilles tendon pulling on the growth plate of the calcaneus. Growth plates are cartilaginous areas of the bone where growth occurs to allow for lengthening. Growth plates typically close once puberty ends and you are no longer growing. The achilles tendon is the insertion of the calf muscles (the gastrocnemius and soleus) into the calcaneus. It is the largest tendon in the body and is responsible for transferring force to allow plantarflexion to occur. Plantarflexion is the raising of our heels, similar to what you would see in a heel raise exercise.