While children do not often suffer from the same achy feet as adults, they are not immune to the development of pain in their feet. If your child is complaining that his soles are particularly tender, an assortment of reasons could be to blame for this ouchiness. Considering the source of your child’s discomfort may help you assuage his pains and get him ready to run about once again.

Server’s Disease

As KidsHealth.org reports, Server’s disease is the most common cause of foot pain in children. This disease commonly impacts children as they move through puberty. This ailment manifests itself the form of heel pain that is a result of the incomplete maturation of the heel bone. If your child is a girl between the ages of 8 and 13 or a boy between the ages of 10 and 15, and is complaining of general heel discomfort, this relatively common disease is likely to blame.

Growth-Related Pain

As children’s bodies rapidly grow and mature, they experience pains all over, including in the feet. If your child is in the middle of a growth spurt, it is highly likely that he will experience some slight discomfort in his legs and feet. Growth spurt related pain is generally intermittent and is no cause for concern, because as soon as your child reaches the end of his growth period, the pain will likely subside.

Injury-Related Pains

If your rough and tumble kid returns from a day on the playground complaining of foot pain, this pain is likely the result of an overuse injury. Feet, just like other body parts, contain an assortment of muscles that can be over-extended or even torn. Because injury-related foot pain varies in severity and cause, any severe foot pain that appears to be the result of an injury should be reported to a doctor to ensure that it is properly tended to.

Importance of Proper Footwear

If left up to their own devices, many kids would explore the great outdoors footwear free. While it may seem harmless to allow your child to do so, failing to require your child to wear proper footwear could result in foot pain later down the line. When your child goes out to play, insist that he wear a supportive athletic shoe, as shoes of this type keep his feet protected and decrease the likelihood that his childhood play periods result in adult foot pain.

Response to Foot Pain

The way in which you respond to your child’s complaints of foot pain depends in large part upon the type and severity of the pains. If your child’s foot pain is minor, you can treat this discomfort with some children’s pain reliever. If, however, the pain is severe or fails to go away after several days, you should mention the pain to his doctor who can investigate the cause of the discomfort and provide him with medicine to help alleviate the pain.