Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run

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Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run

by Concerned Mom
(Pacific Palisades, CA)

My 11 year old son started to complain about ankle pain (in 1 ankle) in July. He was going to a camp beach program where he was running barefoot in the sand. At first, I just thought that he was complaining because it was hard.

But, he loved the program and completed the month and was still complaining and now about both ankles.

I thought that it could have to do with his very flat feet so I took him to the podiatrist in early August and was told that he had tendonitis.

For the month of August he really did not run much, but, would play around (as kids do) and everytime he ran just a little he would start limping and then hoping that is hurt so much.

Once, he started hoping, then the other ankle hurt and then he had trouble walking.

I took him to a pediatric orthopedic in late August and was told again that it was tendonitis.

We have been icing everyday and he is taking advil as well and now started to do little stretches. He can't run at PE and he doesn't want to play with his friends on the weekends because he says he can't run, scooter or even walk sometimes without it hurting.

What can I do to help him?

Thank you
Very Concerned Mom

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Joshua Answers:

Hi CM.

Hmmm.

I could go with tendonitis. Certainly a Tendonitis dynamic, meaning that there is now a Pain Causing Dynamic in place.

What catches my attention is that he's 11, ran a bunch for a few days, and is now hurting/hurt.

I'm more interested in his physical situation -before- he went running. Something is off that he goes and runs and gets injured to whatever degree he's injured.

So in my mind, the scenario looked like A. or B. or some combination of both.

A. He sits around a lot, plays a lot of video games, etc, such that going to camp and running was -such- an increase in exercise and strain on his body that structurally he wasn't very tough and got some strain injury.

Rather like a 'Weekend Warrior' dynamic.

B. He has nutrient deficiency of some sort. Magnesium, various Vit B, Vitamin D.

Going with some assumptions about the American lifestyle, even you in southern CA, 1. Our diets lack appropriate nutrition and 2. When he does go outside, (is he?) he is covered with 'protective' clothes and/or sun screen.

Various nutrient deficiencies set a person up for weak structures, and/or more vulnerable to strain/damage, and/or not able to bounce back/heal as fast as one should, etc.

We can certainly deal with the direct situation of pain that isn't going away on a structural tissue level.

And that will go faster or slower depending on the 'fullness' of his body with nutrition.

Oh, and possibly he's short on protein too.

So there's that.

Now, some questions:

1. Where exactly does he hurt? All over the ankles, just spots, up the lower leg, in the foot, etc?

2. How bad, how long? Obviously enough to keep him from running.

3. How 'bad' are his flat feet. Maybe that should be, how flat are his flat feet?

4. Give me an idea of his build. Lean and lanky? Short and stocky?

5. Overall health? History of sickness or physical injury?

6. How exactly are you icing?

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Please reply using the comment link below. Do not submit a new submission to answer/reply, it's too hard for me to find where it's supposed to go.

And, comments have a 3,000 character limit so you may have to comment twice.
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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com

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Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run

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Sep 13, 2009
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PART 2 - answers to questions - Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run
by: Very Concerned Mom

Thanks for your quick reply!

To start off with, my son, does enjoy video games, etc, but he is on a all year round swim team and swims 3 days a week after school. He also is on a ski team (during the season) and ski's hard 3 weekends a month from November through April. But, he has never enjoyed running or sports that involve running.

He likes to ride his bike, scooter and play/run around with his friends. BUT, he also enjoys being lazy and that is why we have really pushed the swimming for him!

He had a big growth spurt this summer and is now 5' 2 1/2" he has a big build and weighs about 115. He is solid and a little pudge in his belly. He has thick big hands and big feet (size 10) very wide and VERY flat. He has olive skin and tans easily, however he wears sunscreen all summer long.

Now for his eating, we are a pretty health conscience family and I cook homemade meals almost every night. I believe in everything in moderation (but I hate fast food - he has probably had it 10 times in his life). But, he does have a sweet tooth.

He has had stomach problems for a while and last year I took him to an allergist and he is allergic to milk (he is not lactose intolerant) just allergic to the pure drinking form of milk.

He is also allergic to some trees, grass, lint, dust, dust mites, and he has exercise induced asthma. But, if you saw him he looks very strong and healthy.

He says that it hurts around his ankle bones. Usually once he starts running (or even running up the stairs) or is just clowning around - it starts to hurt and then really hurts and does not go away: either until the next day or until he ices it.

We have been icing it with a large flexible ice pack that we belt around he legs Every night before bed for about 20 minutes.

Looking forward to your advice. Thank you!!!

Sep 15, 2009
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PART 3 - Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run
by: The Tendonitis Expert

Joshua Comments:

You?re welcome CM, I love to help. And I like an interesting/complex problem too. Working over the internet ads a sense of mystery to it, investigation-wise:)

A few thoughts:

1. The flat feet are only a problem if they are a problem.

It is likely that he is naturally designed that way, fully functional.

Having said that, he may or may be designed as a runner. My feet aren't flat, but I'm only good for a mile or so.

Only time and experimentation/activity will tell. My point is, just because the feet are flat doesn't give a direct correlation to whether running is for him or not.

Doesn't sound like it's a foot issue anyway, though it's possibly playing a role in the ankle. Foot issues tend to hurt the feet, not the just the ankles as you describe.

2. Rock on on the restricting fast food!

3. Doesn't sound like he falls into the sedentary/structurally weak category. Also doesn't sound like he falls

I'm going with the nutritional side of things, combined with the growth spurt aspect.

And those two certainly go hand in hand.

The body can sometimes grow faster than tendons and such can keep up with. This essentially causes tendon pain and joint pain, that kids almost always grow out of.

In addition, there's a lot of nutrition that goes into all that growth, than can use up a persons reserve and utilize more than one is eating, essentially.

So overall, I wouldn't worry about his ankle pain too much. Even though it really hurts right now, it's likely that it will work itself out now.

Which while probably true, doesn't help you at all in the moment.

So two things to help him get out of pain:

1. Stop icing with the ice pack. 20 minutes once a day just isn't effective in general, and in a Tendonitis situation of any kind, really not effective.

Get a 5 gallon bucket or something equivalent. Fill it with ice and/or frozen water bottles and water. Ice cold.

Then, during dinner and/or while watching tv, have him dip as many times as he can, for 10-20 seconds each.

Keep the dip going. If he can dip throughout the day for 3-7 days, I would be highly surprised if it didn't drop his pain levels significantly. And if it doesn't that's a good clue too.

2. Add in nutrition.

A. Magnesium as described on my Kerri's Magnesium Dosage page.

B. Bone Broth as the best Tendon Supplements

C. Switch to raw milk if you haven't already. If you have a store around that carries it. Processed, pasteurized milk, in my opinion, just isn't worth drinking. Plenty info avail on that if you are interested.

(Continued in PART 4)

Sep 15, 2009
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PART 4 - Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run
by: The Tendonitis Expert

(Continued from PART 3)

Those are my big suggestions just at this moment.

I'm also going to have my Kerri from www.Easy-Immune-Health.com comment on here. There are a few clues in what you have written that have me ask her to comment.

She's a great person to talk to about/investigate the source of the digestion and allery issues.

Try out the ice dipping etc, and let me know what happens.

More questions, more answers.

Sep 15, 2009
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Hmmm. Interesting...
by: Kerri Knox, RN-The Immune Health Queen!

Hi CM,

I'm really not sure what's going on with your son considering that it is ONLY going on in his ankles and no where else. I assume that your doctor at the very least did some X rays to make sure that there is nothing abnormal going on with the bones, bone growth or anything else of that sort.

And, while I'm not being alarmist and this condition is VERY rare and even MORE rare in children, you might want to just bring up the subject of a condition called acromegaly to your doctor. It was the condition that Andre the Giant had. You can read more about symptoms of it at the Pituitary Society.

I may be WAY off base and your doctor may just laugh at you, but with the description of a BIG growth spurt and thick and big hands and feet and joint pain- it simply crossed my mind to tell you about it.

Normally, my first thought is a vitamin D deficiency, but that sounds unlikely.

However, if you have any influence with his doctor and/or you are very persuasive, you might want to try to get a vitamin D level just to cover all of your bases. You would be surprised to see how many supposedly 'healthy' people who get 'plenty of sun' have vitamin D deficiency. There was even a study of young people in Hawaii who got on average 12 hours of sunlight a week (without sunscreen) and many of them were deficient. In fact, my mother lives in Southern California as well (I grew up there) and one of her youngish neighbors had VERY severe vitamin D deficiency with bone pain and fatigue, etc. So, it can happen.

The other thing that interested me was your description of his multiple allergies and lactose intolerance- which makes me think of some sort of digestive tract issue. I know that sounds REALLY dumb and unrelated, but people who get allergies frequently and people who have food allergies often have a condition called 'leaky gut syndrome' which sensitizes them to allergens of all kinds.

And people who have one food allergy, very often have more than one- even if its not an OBVIOUS allergy- and even if you think that your doctor tested for other allergies- few tests do a good job at checking for these allergies because there are three different immune reactions that foods can cause and most doctors test for just ONE kind- not all three kinds.

(Continued on next comment)

Sep 15, 2009
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More...
by: Kerri Knox, RN-The Immune Health Queen!

So, here are a couple of suggestions.

Check out the website of Sage Medical labs for their VERY comprehensive Food Allergy Test. They test for over 100 different foods in 3 different ways and are so sure that you'll feel better, they offer a guarantee that if they find food allergies and you avoid the offending foods and you don't feel better, they will refund your money! Try getting THAT guarantee from your doctor.

They DO take insurance and will quote you a price after the amount that your insurance pays- which they also GUARANTEE that you'll pay that price even if your insurance company later refuses to pay!

So give them a call and get a quote. If you go through your insurance, you'll need to get your doctor to Fill This Out for insurance company reimbursement. If your insurance doesn't cover it and you still want to pay for the test out of pocket, let me know and as a health car practitioner, I can help you to get the test.

The next thing that I would recommend is for you to get an Organix Profile Test for him. It is a simple in-home urine test that you can have mailed to you and you simply mail it back to the lab afterwards. It is AMAZING and will tell you SO MUCH about his nutritional status that it will blow your mind.

It checks for vitamin B12 levels, all of his other vitamin levels, mitochondrial energy production markers, markers of yeast overgrowth in his intestines (you said that he often craves sugar), whether he is able to detoxify substances well- and more importantly, if he is actually ABSORBING his nutrients. If he has some leaky gut syndrome that is contributing to his allergies, this can help to tell you that.

Personally, I think that if EVERYONE had this test every 5 years or so, we would be able to catch SO many problems before they ever got started that it would save BILLIONS in health care costs. I LOVE this test!

If that interests you, then you can get it from me HERE. I send it to you in the mail, I get the results about 2 weeks later and call you with the results and also send you the results by Email so that you can take them to your doctor if you choose.

Whatever you try, I hope that he's feeling better soon.

Kerri Knox, RN
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

Feb 01, 2010
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Seever's Disease? (Also spelled Sever's Disease)
by: Anonymous

Your son may have Seever's Disease, where the heel bone doesn't grow as fast as the surrounding tissue. My 12 yr old son was diagnosed with it this fall when he began playing team football. The only real treatment was to wear orthotics, which have helped. The condition will cure itself over time when his heel bones catch up to his overall growth.

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Joshua Comments:

Thanks Anonymous!

Oct 09, 2010
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My son has big feet (15) & very flat footed.
by: raptor

I took my son to a Dr when he was a toddler becuase he had flat feet and his ankles and knees would hurt him. Dr wanted to break his foot to fix it. And ofcourse I said &*^% no. I would have to rub his legs at night and give him some thing for pain so he could go back to sleep. I found that he has to wear shoes with a high ankle support. Like high tops. He is now 15 and he trys to buy regular tennies. But we have done that and had to take them back after one use. Because his ankles and knees hurt so bad. He can wear sandles for quick trips to store. But no for all day use.
Also, for new moms out there. My son had fever during his growing spurts and sever back aches too. He is now 15yrs old and is 6"1 and size 15 shoes.
Helpful hint: We have both started to use potassium pills as a pain releiver for leg pain. I am not saying it will work for all, but it works for us.

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Joshua Comments:

Hi Raptor.

Well, let's see.

1. It's possible that your son is just naturally built in such a way that he's going to have some foot/knee pain issues.

That's kind of the probable dynamic.

2. Having said that, let's see what we can do:

A. Get you and your son's Vitamin D level up between 50-80.

B. Do a couple months of magnesium at tolerance level. See Magnesium Dosage

C. Increase his protein intake. Don't know what his diet consists of now. He's a big boy, I assume he eats a ton. Increase the protein and good fat, decrease the carbs.

D. Make Bone Broth a daily part of his diet. See Bone Broth as the best Tendon Supplements

Do that and check in in a month or so.

Ask questions along the way.

Oct 30, 2010
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Flat Feet an Ankle Hurting
by: Anonymous

My 14 year old son also has flat feet and he complains that his left ankle hurts. Every time he runs, he complains that his left ankle hurts.

I disagree with the doctor that it does not have any relation with the feet. I believe it is totally related. Being flat footed puts a lot of extra pressure on your ankles....you can see it when my son has no shoes on and is walking in the home.

I am waiting for an appointment to see an orthoedic surgeon and hopefully through ankle strengthening excercises, my son will be able to lead a relatively normal life.

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Joshua Comments:

Seriously, the doctor doesn't see a connection between flat feet and ankle pain from running?

I agree, go see a different doctor!

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Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run

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Ankle Tendonitis? Flat Feet? My 11 year old son has so much pain in his ankles he can't run