Solemaids helps children with heel pain stay active
Based on clinical real-world-data from 2021 and 2022
Since 2017 we have collected data on children who receive Solemaids Severs insoles. In 2021 and 2022 nineteen certified Solemaids clinics in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the USA collected data on a total of 723 children. This page summarises the data into new insights on children with heel pain.
This data is based on paediatric patients at certified Solemaids clinics that came to the clinics complaining of heel pain in one or both feet. Almost all children were prescribed the use of Solemaids Severs insoles. Most children experienced pain in both feet.
Should my child wear insoles in both shoes if my child only have pain in one heel?
Children with heel pain in numbers
| Avg. Age at Onset | % Active In Sports | Avg. Time Spent On Sports Per Week | Avg. Duration of Sever's Disease |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9,5 years old |
96 % are active in sports |
6 hours spent on sports |
10,5 months |
- The onset of Sever’s disease typically occurs at the age of 9-10. At this age children are often getting more ambitious with sports and they are still active in play as well.
- 96 % of children are active in sports. 67 % of these children play football, making football the most common sport among children with Sever’s disease. Astro Turf or plastic courts have very hard surfaces and football cleats have no shock absorbtion at all.
- On average the children spend 6 hours a week on organised sport. 6 children spent more than 15 hours on organized sport per week.
This is a rising tendency among child athletes in Norway. - The children had on average had Sever’s disease for almost a year when they consulted our Solemaids clinics.
Most children with heel pain have a normal foot type
Heel pain affects children with all foot types. This means that heel pain is a normal condition and it doesn’t seem to be related to a certain foot posture. The numbers below show us that the children’s foot types are consistent with the foot types of the general adult population as well.
Most children who get Sever’s disease are boys. The cause can be that boys have a steeper growth curve than girls. The steep growth curve also affecs the growth zones in the heels, making boys more at risk of getting heel pain.
How does heel pain affect children's sports activity?
The figure below illustrates how children with Sever’s disease are affected and in what degree they can participate in sport. Per Øllgaard has develeped these levels to get a better understanding of how badly they are affected by heel pain and how much it interferes with their sports activities.
The children coming to Solemaids clinics in 2022 were not as badly affected as in 2021. In 2022 70 % of children only experienced heel pain during or after physical activity and only 3 % had stopped their sports activities completely. In contrast almost 25 % of children had stopped participating in sport due to heel pain in 2021.
We hope this development continues, so the children who come to Solemaids clinics are still participating in sport activities. Because that means they have been able to seek out help in due time. We believe that more Solemaids clinics ensure more awareness about children’s heel pain. Hopefully, parents seek out help faster so their children can stay active.
Interested in becoming a certified Solemaids clinic? Read more here.
We are happy to see this development as it supports our vision to help people remain active.