03 May My Child Has Heel Pain — Could It Be Plantar Fasciitis?

Your child gets out of bed in the morning and immediately starts limping. Or they’re fine in the morning but refuse to play at lunch. Or sport has gone from their favourite thing to something they’re quietly avoiding. Sound familiar?

Heel pain in children is more common than many parents realise — and while the search term plantar fasciitis treatment might bring up a lot of adult-focused content, children can and do develop forms of this condition. If you’ve been Googling “plantar fasciitis specialist near me” on behalf of your child, you’re in the right place.

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Not All Childhood Heel Pain Is the Same

Children’s heel pain is a broad category. The most common diagnosis in kids, especially those aged 8–14 and involved in sport, is Sever’s disease, a growth plate syndrome where the heel bone’s growth plate becomes irritated. But plantar fasciitis is also a genuine possibility, particularly when calf tightness is a factor.

The key difference between children’s heel pain and the chronic plantar fasciitis commonly seen in adults is severity and duration. Adult plantar fasciitis often involves months of gradual degeneration. In children, the onset can be faster — and the good news is that recovery tends to be faster too.

Why Tight Calves Are Often the Real Culprit

Here’s something parents are often surprised to learn: in many cases of kids’ heel pain — whether it’s plantar fasciitis or another condition — the root cause is muscle tightness, specifically in the calf.

As children grow rapidly, their muscles can struggle to keep pace with their lengthening bones. This tightness down the back of the leg increases the load on the plantar fascia — the band of tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes — and can lead to inflammation and pain.

Addressing this tightness can make a significant difference.

What You Can Do at Home Right Now

Before you book an appointment, try this three-week calf stretching protocol that our podiatrist recommends for children with heel pain:

How to stretch:

• Stand facing a wall with one foot forward, one foot back
• Keep the back heel flat on the ground and lean gently into the wall
• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds
• Repeat three times a day
• Continue for 21 days without skipping

Children’s muscles tend to respond well to this kind of targeted stretching, and many parents notice real improvement within a fortnight. The goal is to take the pressure off the plantar fascia by improving flexibility through the calf and Achilles.

If the pain hasn’t resolved after three weeks of consistent stretching, it’s time to seek professional heel pain treatment.

What to Expect at a Heel Pain Clinic Assessment

At our Heel Pain Clinic, we don’t just look at the foot in isolation. A thorough assessment for a child with heel pain includes:

• A full history — when the pain started, what makes it better or worse, recent activity levels
• Gait analysis — watching how your child walks and runs
• Foot structure assessment — checking for flat feet, high arches, or other structural contributors
• Footwear review — making sure shoes aren’t contributing to the problem
• Differential diagnosis — ruling out severe pain on the heel of the foot caused by heel spurs, growth plate issues, or other conditions

From there, we’ll build a treatment plan that suits your child’s age, activity level, and specific diagnosis.

Don’t Wait on Heel Pain

It’s tempting to hope children’s heel pain will resolve on its own — and sometimes it does. But persistent pain that interferes with play, sport, and daily movement is worth investigating early. Untreated plantar fasciitis or chronic plantar fasciitis that develops further can mean longer recovery times and more intervention down the track.

The great news? You don’t always have to bench them for months. Using advanced laser therapy — a pain-free, non-invasive treatment — we target the inflammatory response at the growth plate to significantly reduce pain and help your child stay active.

Our approach means:

• Less reliance on stretches and exercises that kids rarely stick to
• Significant pain reduction without stopping sport
• A fast, comfortable treatment with no downtime

Getting your child assessed early is always the right call.

Book a 65% Off Assessment Today

We want to make it as easy as possible for Sydney families to access expert heel pain care. That’s why we’re offering 65% off initial assessments for new patients — just $40 for a comprehensive evaluation.

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Book Here — 65% Off Initial Assessment