Brisbane Foot and Orthotics
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Young male athlete runs during AFL training.

Supporting development in junior athletes

Your tween pulls up from training with sore heels, again. They ice it, rest it, and go back. The same thing happens after the next session, too. Sometimes, they’re complaining and want to sit it out. Other times, they’re desperate to keep playing because they’re worried about losing fitness, missing selection, or letting their teammates down.

Meanwhile, you’re left wondering if it’s just growing pains and you should encourage perseverance and participation, or if it’s something more significant that might warrant treatment. Parenting’s not easy, is it?!

 

How do you know if it’s just growing pains?

As a parent without clinical training, the short answer is that it might be hard for you to tell for sure. However, as a rough guide, you can look at the pain’s location, pattern and impact. 

Growing pains? Needs assessment
  • Typically felt in both legs
  • Usually felt in the evening/nighttime
  • Usually gone by morning
  • Persistent pain in the same area
  • Flares up with activity
  • Affects movement (e.g. child is limping)

 

If it’s not growing pains, what could it be?

Several clinical conditions can cause pain during growth spurts, including: 

  • Sever’s disease:  Kids’ heel pain due to inflammation of the growth plate at the back of the heel. It’s caused by the Achilles tendon repeatedly pulling on the heel during running and jumping.  
  • Osgood-Schlatter disease: Pain and swelling just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches to the growth plate at the top of the shinbone. A common cause of pain in adolescents who often run, jump or kick. 
  • Medial tibial stress syndrome: Shin splints in kids involve pain along the inner shinbone. It’s an overuse injury, but certain biomechanical factors can increase risk. 
  • Stress fractures: Another overuse injury where repeated loading causes small cracks in the bone.

Repeated loading plays a part in all these conditions, but Sever’s disease and Osgood-Schlatter disease are most common before skeletal maturity. They’re directly linked to your child’s developmental stage. 

 

Growing bodies break down differently

During a growth spurt, bones, muscles and tendons can change quickly – and not always at the same pace.

Bones often grow more quickly than tendons and ligaments can adapt. This growth occurs in aptly named growth plates at the end of bones, but until a child is fully grown, these areas are weaker than nearby tendons and ligaments. When those tendons and ligaments repeatedly pull on the growth plate (as they do during busy sport seasons), it can trigger heel pain (Sever’s disease) or pain just below the knee (Osgood-Schlatter disease).  

Your child’s development stage is a key factor, but their biomechanics can influence how much load reaches the feet, heels, shins and knees during sport. Tight calves, limited ankle mobility, the wrong footwear, overpronation or knee-tracking issues can all change how force moves through the lower limbs. When these factors are in play during a growth spurt that is already putting growth plates under extra stress, they can contribute to clinically significant conditions. 

 

Managing lower limb pain in growing athletes

Management usually focuses on reducing irritation while supporting appropriate movement. Depending on the assessment findings, this may include:

  • Modifying activity by reducing painful drills, running volume or impact for a period without necessarily stopping all sport
  • Managing training load by avoiding sudden spikes in training, games or competition intensity
  • Improving footwear by checking fit, support, cushioning and sport-specific shoe needs
  • Using heel raises or cushioning, particularly where heel pain or Achilles loading is involved
  • Addressing biomechanics such as overpronation, tight calves, limited ankle mobility, or knee alignment and tracking
  • Prescribing orthotics to help reduce abnormal loading through the feet, heels, shins or knees
  • Building strength and mobility with targeted exercises for the calves, ankles, feet, hips or knees
  • Planning a gradual return to sport, increasing activity as pain settles, strength improves and the athlete can move comfortably.

 

When to book an assessment

Book a podiatry assessment if your child has:

  • Pain that keeps returning around training
  • Heel pain, knee pain or shin pain that’s not settling
  • Pain that changes how they run, walk or land
  • Symptoms on one side only
  • Pain that continues at rest or overnight

Early assessment can help identify the causes of leg pain before a small issue becomes a longer interruption to sport. 

 

Book an assessment with Brisbane Foot & Orthotics

 

Frequently asked questions

Are growing pains real?

Yes, but “growing pains” is sometimes used too broadly. Recurring pain linked to sport, one-sided symptoms, or pain that changes how your child moves warrants assessment to rule out conditions like Sever’s disease, Osgood-Schlatter disease or a growth plate injury.

 

Why do legs ache during growth spurts? 

During growth spurts, bones lengthen faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons, increasing tension on growth plates and soft tissue. This, combined with sport loads, is why painful growth spurts often show up as heel pain, knee pain or lower-limb fatigue rather than general soreness.

 

What is Sever’s disease? 

Sever’s disease is irritation of the growth plate at the back of the heel.  It is one of the most common causes of heel pain in active children and teenagers. During growth spurts, the heel bone can lengthen faster than the Achilles tendon, which increases the pull on the growth plate and makes it more susceptible to irritation under the loads of running, jumping and landing.

 

Is Sever’s disease serious? 

It is painful and can significantly affect training, but it does not cause permanent damage to the growth plate. Symptoms typically resolve as growth slows and the growth plate closes, usually by the mid-teenage years. Managing it well reduces discomfort and helps keep children active in the meantime.

 

What is Osgood-Schlatter disease? 

Osgood-Schlatter disease is irritation of the growth plate just below the kneecap, where the patellar tendon attaches to the shinbone. It is one of the most common causes of knee pain in active adolescents, particularly those going through growth spurts. The patellar tendon repeatedly pulls on the tibial growth plate during running, jumping, squatting and kicking. This traction can irritate the developing bone, causing pain and sometimes visible swelling at the front of the knee.

 

Do kids need orthotics for sports injuries? 

Not always. Orthotics should only be prescribed for a clear clinical reason. They may be recommended when assessment identifies a biomechanical factor contributing to symptoms.

 

Disclaimer

All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice.  

 

References [Accessed 20 June 2026]