WAG Wasn't prepared for Severs frequency

[cbifoja]

Not looking for medical advice!

DD had her first experience with training pain in January of this year. At the time, she attended a gym with a trainer on staff and he would tape her ankle and off she would go. He didn't diagnose her, just said she has tight ankles (we knew this from her previous coach who was a PT in past life).

The pain never fully went away but it lessened considerably to where she didn't need taping. For example, at L8 regionals, she wasn't taped at all and it felt fine.

When she switched back to her old gym in May and started having pain again, owner/ex-PT asked me to take her to sports med to see what was going on. DD was diagnosed with Severs and told how to manage the pain. She was a good egg and did what she was told....and ended her growth spurt, so the pain went away by late summer.

We were both happy that she wasn't hurting anymore but we also knew that anytime she was growing, it was possible that her pain would return. I guess I just didn't think it through because I thought that meant we should expect one or two flair ups a year. I noticed her doing her weird limp run when she was outside playing and when I asked her, sure enough, Severs pain is back. This has been her pattern:

Jan - March: pain
April - May: no pain
June - mid August: pain
mid-August - September: no pain
October: pain.

I am really curious if this is typical. I don't think DD is faking the pain because when her coaches modify her training, they usually decrease her numbers of vault runs. This kills her since she loves to vault. For those of you who have kids of approximate age (11 1/2 when pain began, 12 at diagnosis, 12 1/2 now), is this consistent with your child's pattern of flair up?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I would think it's more individual. DD was diagnosed over a year ago. Her first bout lasted several months. She is wearing cheetah cup (down to one now, for a short while it was both feet) still. However, she also just had a SEVERELY sprained ankle (other foot) so she was out of vault and tumbling for another reason. She did say her severs was acting up a bit but with being limited during training it subsided during that time. So for her, about 2-3mo ON, 6-7mo OFF, 1-2mo ON.... She is 12 now (summer Bday) and I believe she will be starting a growth spurt soon, I can see some signs.

 

[GlobalNomad]

We've had a similar pattern.

 

[munchkin3]

Us too. Mine is loving her cheetahs AND she wears a padded sock (with bare toes) so she is literally double padded on her heels.
I am worried now that all the padding will somehow weaken her ankles so I have suggested she do a little extra ankle rises etc....
I would like to have her remove all of this before the season but I don't know......
I would rather she have all the padding, train consistently.....than have no padding and be in boots, and no training (There are 4 girls on team in a boot for different reasons.)
I pray we can maintain this and have the pain subside.
What a pain in the butt this is.....especially for her.

 

[lhmom]

Went through that quite a few times over the past few years. Always knew she was having a growth spurt when I would see her limping at practice. I feel for you. It's rough on them and you hate to see them in pain. Surprisingly, we haven't seen a flare up lately with DD even though she is running quite a bit (soccer/basketball). The only thing I figure is because she runs in shoes now and not barefoot.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

so think Pink is heading down the Severs road too.

She ices, used ibuprophen, stretches several times a day. Have looked at cheetah cups online, are they heel inserts for shoes ? Is there anything they can wear whilst training ( like I could get her not to go, but she does stop and ice when it gets very painful) ?

Is something like this useful ?

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Any tips would be appreciated, hate seeing my baby sad

 

[bogwoppit]

Look at tuli's cheetahs.

 

[2littlegymmiesmom]

Same thing here. I was unprepared for the amount and duration of the flare ups! DD (9) has been in a walking boot 3x for her severs and in crutches twice. Her doctor is a sports medicine doctor but he seems to take a conservative approach as far as putting her in a boot. Although the last time with the boot it was very bad, almost to the point of being a stress fracture.

I had no idea how debilitating to them severs could be. We go through months with little to no pain and then weeks of flare ups. Usually we can manage the flare ups with ice, rest, massage and strecthing. This last one though required a trip to the doctor. DD has tendonitis, and a sprain in addition to the severs! Ughhh. Hoping we don't have to deal with this for 2 more years!

 

[AmandaLynn]

I have a few kids that have had decent results with the X-Brace. And it isn't as bulky to use as a cheetah heel.

 

[cbifoja]

so think Pink is heading down the Severs road too.

She ices, used ibuprophen, stretches several times a day. Have looked at cheetah cups online, are they heel inserts for shoes ? Is there anything they can wear whilst training ( like I could get her not to go, but she does stop and ice when it gets very painful) ?

Is something like this useful ?

Link Removed

Any tips would be appreciated, hate seeing my baby sad

DD's brace doesn't look like that. She has more padding in the heel with a rubberized part on the heel.

 

[cbifoja]

I have a few kids that have had decent results with the X-Brace. And it isn't as bulky to use as a cheetah heel.

We started with the x brace but it just didn't get DD well. She has oddly shaped feet...think Fred Flintstone...so that may have played a part

 

[cbifoja]

Look at tuli's cheetahs.

This is what DD uses per her coach's suggestions. She is happy with them.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

right, so Pink wears a size UK 6 shoe, (I think thats a US 7) and is about 94lb (guessing here) would a medium fit ? I find their sizing odd

 

[cbifoja]

What is the circumference around her instep? That is how they size.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

okay, will measure her tomorrow, its past bed time here ! is there a link to a size chart ? What part to measure ?

 

[thefellowsmom]

Dds severs flairs up when she is growing and usually when they switch from soft to hard surfaces on something. For example, she removed the red mat from the beam on her bhs bloso series and her bad heel is her landing foot and she was still coming down pretty hard on it, which caused trigger points in her calf and the sole of her foot seize up and boom, heel pain.

We find massage the best treatment. We are now using a TENS machine and it works great. The spot in her calf and/or feet that are causing the pain moves around so it is usually a trial and error thing until we find the right spot and then once we do, it usually is resolved in about a week with massage, ice and stretching.

I know I am a broken record about this book, but here it is again. I swear by this method and most aches and pains that dd has from gym have been resolved using this book. Of course, after she has been checked out by a doctor to rule out injury. But things like severs, OS, aces, pains, tendonitis etc are effectively treated this way.

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Many gyms have rollers now and they are readily available in stores. Rolling is a good way to get at these areas as well.

Also, here is a good article from gymnastcare.

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Dd like the TENS machine better for the massage part. Much less painful. And now that she is accustomed to the ice bucket she actually enjoys it and asks for it. We use an electronic thermometer to make sure the temp is right,

While she is flared up she uses an x brace with a cheetah cup over it. Provides padding plus arch support. She tried this on her own one day and found the most relief this way.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Same thing here. I was unprepared for the amount and duration of the flare ups! DD (9) has been in a walking boot 3x for her severs and in crutches twice. Her doctor is a sports medicine doctor but he seems to take a conservative approach as far as putting her in a boot. Although the last time with the boot it was very bad, almost to the point of being a stress fracture.

I had no idea how debilitating to them severs could be. We go through months with little to no pain and then weeks of flare ups. Usually we can manage the flare ups with ice, rest, massage and strecthing. This last one though required a trip to the doctor. DD has tendonitis, and a sprain in addition to the severs! Ughhh. Hoping we don't have to deal with this for 2 more years!

I TRULY hope I am wrong...but Kipper's Severs started at 9 1/2. A heel cup was all she needed to get through that season. At 10, it flared up mid -season, and her coach taped gel cup to her foot and that helped a lot. Still, her vaults were absolutely horrible the last two meets because she could barely run through the pain. Last year, at 11yo, her flare up started mid-January. It was so bad, I thought it might be a stress fracture. She had to take some time off and reduce activity. Then, she missed 8 weeks after fracturing her knee, and her Severs was all better...for exactly 1 month. Then it flared again, and her awkward gait (compensating for the pain) led to inflammation of the growth plate on the side of her foot. X-rays show that as a newly turned 12yo...her growth plates are still wide open. We probably have another year before it goes away. So, while I really hope I am wrong, prepare yourself that this could be a long-term issue. Talk to your kid about numbering her pain. Better to back off or at least limit hard surface pounding.

 

[B.Gold]

13 yr old Dd has experienced constant pain for over three years ranging anywhere on the pain scale of 2 to very recently a 6 (pain is too intense to run after 4-5). Her reoccurring flair-ups happen when we get complacent with the icing, stretching and massaging. Just had an x-ray, growth plates still wide open so no relief in sight. And a new, more serious condition has presented itself. It's enough to do me in!!

 

[duyetanh]

I am so sorry for all of you! I hope all of your kiddos find relief soon! And B. Gold, how awful something else more serious has presented itself! I hope she heals quickly.

 

[2littlegymmiesmom]

We went to PT for the first time tonight. He diagnosed DD with a grade 2 sprain of her ankle. He seems to think she has been compensating for the heel pain by landing different than normal and putting added strain on other parts of her foot/ankle. The pain now goes all the way up the right side of her calf. She has decreased strength and range of motion in her right foot/ankle as well. All due to the constant pain from the severs. Hoping that PT will help deal with some of these issues. What an ordeal and from the posts it doesn't sound like it will be over soon! Here's hoping to a quick recovery for all of the gymies dealing with this.