Playing Sport With Sever's Disease: Your Guide to Exercising with Heel Pain
The diagnosis of Severs Disease often comes with well-intentioned advice to "rest until it goes away." Whether from a concerned parent, coach, or healthcare provider, this recommendation can be devastating for young athletes passionate about their sport.
But here's the encouraging news - complete rest isn't your only option. Modern sports medicine has shown us that there's a smarter way to approach Severs Disease, one that allows you to stay active while managing your heel pain effectively.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore evidence-based strategies for staying active with Severs Disease. From practical training adjustments to sport-specific advice, you'll learn how to balance protecting your heels and recovering without giving up the sports you love.
IMPORTANT: While this guide draws from extensive experience with young athletes, it's meant for informational purposes only. Always work with qualified healthcare professionals to develop a personalized plan for your specific situation.
The Case for Playing Sport with Severs Disease
When your heels are throbbing after practice, the temptation to stop all activity can be overwhelming. Many young athletes and parents default to complete rest as the solution for Sever's Disease. While this common advice comes from a place of concern, total inactivity may actually hinder your long term recovery rather than help it.
Your body is designed for movement, and this remains true even when managing heel pain. When an athlete suddenly halts all physical activity, their body begins to detrain rapidly. The calf muscles lose their elasticity and power, cardiovascular fitness declines, and sport-specific movement patterns begin to deteriorate. These changes can occur in as little as seven to ten days of complete inactivity, leaving athletes more vulnerable to pain and reinjury when they eventually return to sport.
Modify Don't Miss
The key lies in finding what specialists call the "optimal loading zone" - that sweet spot between too much activity and too little. Rather than completely stepping away from sport, athletes should work with their healthcare providers to develop a modified training program that maintains fitness while allowing adequate healing time.
Continuing modified participation offers benefits that complete rest cannot provide. Physically, it helps preserve your strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness while keeping your body adapted to sport-specific movements. You'll maintain your tactical understanding and skills, while staying connected with teammates and coaches. This balanced approach not only supports your physical recovery but helps preserve the confidence and team connections that are vital for young athletes.
Modifications to Help you Keep Playing with Sever’s Disease
While staying active is important, it’s unlikely you will be able to play and train at 100% of your pre-injury levels, so modifications will be essential.
There are three key areas that can be adjusted to help us continue training, at modify levels: frequency, volume, and intensity.
Training Frequency
Training frequency needs to be structured differently when managing Severs Disease. Training and playing every day will be hard to maintain, instead fitting in 1-2 days of rest from impact training (jumping, running) will give you the space and time for the heels to recover and build strength.
Training Volume
Volume is the amount of training you do, usually measured in the length (duration) of your training sessions. Like frequency, excessive training volume is a risk factor for flare-ups of heel pain. Rather than trying to maintain your usual training load, a focus on high-quality training time and the willingness to end sessions early, or fit in extra rest periods as needed can help you stay active and engaged in your sport while allowing a little extra space for recovery.
Intensity
Intensity is how hard you push during training. Different activities will place varying levels of stress on your heels — these activities can vary between individuals, but hard acceleration efforts, change of direction and sprinting are the most common triggering activities. Managing intensity usually requires skipping or modifying specific drills in training, however intensity adjustments in competition are not always as easy (some athletes will choose to continue training lightly and less frequently but skip competition for 1-2 weeks when starting their rehabilitation program, however using judgement here is important.
Coach Communication
Clear communication with your coaches is essential throughout this process. We recommend keeping your coaches informed about your progress and work with them to make modifications.
Getting all of this right can be challenging, and the perfect balance it will be continually changing as you progress through your rehab — it’s almost guaranteed that there will be ups and downs along the way.
The Core Advantage online Sever’s program is here to support and guide you through the process. It provides detailed, step-by-step instructions to help you make smart decisions as you maintain your sporting levels or build back to normal levels in a return to play.
Learn more about the Sever’s program here →
Playing through Sever's - Listen to Your Body
Learning to interpret your body's response to activity is crucial for managing Severs Disease effectively. Your body provides important signals before, during, and after activity that can help guide your participation levels.
During activity
Pay attention to how your heels feel. Sharp or shooting pain, progressively worsening discomfort, or changes in your running mechanics are all signals that you need to modify your activity. If you find yourself unable to push off properly when running, it's time to adjust your intensity or take a break.
After sport
The hours following activity are equally important for monitoring your response. While some mild discomfort is normal, pain that persists for more than two hours after activity or significant difficulty with walking may indicate you need to adjust your training approach.
Next morning stiffness
The morning after activity often tells the most important story - severe morning stiffness or increased pain compared to previous days suggests your current activity level may need adjustment.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Success in managing Severs Disease while staying active often comes down to avoiding key mistakes. Let's explore the most common pitfalls that can slow your return to full activity.
Training Too Hard, Too Soon
The eagerness to return to full training often leads athletes to push too hard when they start feeling better. Rushing back to intense sessions before your heels are ready typically results in setbacks. Our program helps you pace your return appropriately.
Inconsistent Load Management
Dramatic swings in training volume spell trouble for heel pain. Whether it's trying to "make up" for missed sessions or having an overly aggressive week, irregular training patterns often lead to flare-ups. Consistency is key.
Equipment Neglect
Running in worn-out shoes or training without proper support puts unnecessary stress on your heels. Many athletes underestimate how quickly athletic footwear can deteriorate with regular use.
Skipping Recovery Steps
Recovery isn't optional when managing Severs Disease. Rushing through or skipping warm-ups, cool-downs, and other recovery measures might feel like it’s saving time, but it often leads to a slower rehabilitation in the long run and prolonged heel pain down the road. Too often young athletes rush, are inconsistent or forget entirely to do their Sever's stretches. Other athletes fail to maintain a Sever's exercise program all together!
Poor Communication
Not keeping coaches and parents informed about your symptoms and modifications can create confusion and pressure to do too much. Clear communication helps ensure everyone supports your modified training approach.
All-or-Nothing Mindset
Many athletes think they either need complete rest or full training. This black-and-white thinking often leads to poor decisions about activity levels. Our program helps you find the right balance for your situation.
Your Return to Sport Path With Sever’s
While every athlete's Sever’s journey is unique, managing Severs Disease while staying engaged in your sports and activities is absolutely achievable with the right guidance and approach.
Our online program provides the framework and information you need to stay active in your sport while managing and beating your Sever’s Disease heel pain quickly. We'll guide you through smart training modifications, help you establish consistent recovery practices, and show you how to track your progress effectively.
