A research team studying Sever disease, which causes activity-related heel pain in children and adolescents, found that those with the disease have morphological changes in the Achilles tendons and plantar fascia and exhibit biomechanical adaptations while walking. The study aimed to describe the morphological differences, spatiotemporal parameters, and ground reaction forces between children with and without Sever disease, and to investigate the relationship between the variables to determine the implications of structural impairments on walking biomechanics.
Participants in the study were divided into two groups: Sever (n=20; 10.74±1.93 years old) and a control group (n=14; 11.21±2.08 years old). The researchers collected ultrasound measures (thickness, cross-sectional area, and echogenicity) of the Achilles tendon, plantar fascia, and gastrocnemius medialis, and biomechanical measures were acquired during walking at 5 km/h-1 on a monitorized treadmill.
The children with Sever disease presented significantly thicker Achilles tendon and thinner plantar fascia compared to controls, the authors concluded, and the intrasubject comparison in Sever subjects revealed that the affected foot exhibited higher impact and braking forces compared to the unaffected foot.
The study, “Musculotendinous morphological differences and their relationship with walking biomechanics in children with and without Sever disease,” was published in Gait & Posture.
To read about O&P treatment for Sever disease, read “Calcaneal Apophysitis (Sever’s Disease)” by Séamus Kennedy, BEng(Mech), CPed, FAAOP(A), in the March issue of The O&P EDGE.
