Sever Disease eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Contents - Introduction Clinical Differentials Workup Treatment Medication Follow-up Miscellaneous Pictures Bibliography
Synonyms and related keywords: Sever's disease, calcaneal apophysitis, calcaneal epiphysitis, traction apophysitis, Achilles tendon pain, heel pain
Sever disease is a painful inflammation of the calcaneal apophysis. It is classified with the child and adolescent nonarticular osteochondroses. (The other disease in this group is Iselin disease, which is inflammation of the base of the fifth metatarsal.) The etiology of pain in Sever disease is believed to be repetitive trauma to the weaker structure of the apophysis, induced by the pull of the tendo Achilles on its insertion. This results in a clinical picture of heel pain in a growing active child, which worsens with activity.