Soccer Shoes for Kids with Heel Pain – Supportive Shoes with Heel Cups to Stop Your Kids’ Heel Pain!
Does your child love playing soccer but has been complaining about heel pain lately? Heel pain can be caused by various factors, including overuse, improper footwear, or underlying medical conditions. Selecting supportive soccer shoes can make a significant difference for kids with heel pain, helping enhance performance, boost confidence, and prevent injury. Supportive soccer shoes for kids with heel pain are the ones that provide firm heel counters and extra padding and cushion right below the heels.
What is Causing Your Child’s Heel Pain?
Most children’s heel pain is caused by the repeated minor trauma that occurs when they are performing high-impact activities, such as running and jumping. This repeated trauma caused by your children’s feet impacting the ground can be significantly reduced by wearing supportive soccer cleats.
Is Your Child Dealing with Sever’s Disease or Plantar Fasciitis?
One of the most common causes of heel pain in growing children and adolescents is Sever’s disease, which is also known as calcaneal apophysitis. When children have Sever’s disease, they can either rest and recover, which means sitting out of sports, or find a way to help minimize or fully eliminate the pain.
Another common cause of heel pain is called Plantar fasciitis. Children with plantar fasciitis generally experience most pain at the beginning of an activity and it goes away after 10-15 minutes while with Sever’s disease the pain tends to increase with activity.
Are More Expensive Soccer Shoes More Supportive?
Parents need to understand that a more expensive shoe doesn’t automatically translate into a more supportive shoe. Even the most expensive soccer shoes on the market will not help treat or prevent your child’s heel pain, but proper fit and support will.
Key Features of Supportive Soccer Shoes for Kids
I usually suggest looking for soccer cleats that provide firm heel counters with extra cushion below and around the heels. The better the cushioning around your child’s heels, the higher the chances of eliminating your child’s heel pain.
1. Firm Heel Counters: The heel counter is the back part of the shoe that provides ankle and heel support, and the firmer it is, the better. Let me show you where the heel counter of the shoe is located:
2. Cushioned Heels: Soccer shoes with extra padding in the heel area to absorb shock and reduce pressure on the growth plate. This feature helps minimize the impact during sudden movements and jumps, which are common in soccer. Let me show you an example of a soccer cleat that provides extra padding around the heels:
Notice the difference in padding between a pair of the Adidas soccer shoes I recommend and a pair of Under Armour ones. While Under Armour shoes have gained a lot of popularity among young and older kids, they might not be the best choice when it comes to a child who is dealing with heel pain.
Most of the soccer shoes that I recommend for kids with heel pain are made by New Balance, Adidas, and Zephz.
The Importance of Wearing the Correct Shoe Size
Shoes that are too tight can cause blisters, calluses, and exacerbate existing heel pain. Conversely, shoes that are too loose can lead to instability and increase the risk of falls and injuries. A properly fitting shoe supports the foot’s natural development, providing a stable base for movement and reducing the risk of injury. I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best youth soccer cleats for heel pain. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.
Supportive Soccer Shoes for Kids with Heel Pain
As a shoe fitter with extensive experience in children’s footwear, I understand the importance of selecting shoes that not only fit well but also support proper foot development.
1. 442 V2 Academy by New Balance
This is one of parents’ favorite soccer shoes for children with heel pain as it is offered at a reasonable price and the cleat features a genuine suede leather upper for long-lasting durability. The shoe also has a reinforced heel counter to enhance stability and support, crucial for maintaining proper foot alignment.
Key Features
- Order the shoe style 442 V2 Academy by New Balance on the New Balance website or Amazon.
- Fits children with medium or wide feet.
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel.
- I suggest that you get this soccer shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size.
2. Goletto VIII by Adidas
This supportive soccer cleat is also offered at a reasonable price point and provides good cushion and padding around and below the heels.
Key Features
- Order the shoe style Adidas shoe style Goletto VIII on Zappos or Amazon.
- Fits children with medium or wide feet.
- Cushioned heels.
- I suggest that you get this soccer shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size.
3. Zephz
This soccer cleat offers superior cushioning to minimize heel impact, ensuring comfort even during intense play. The shoe is ideal for children who have “complicated” foot shapes such as wide or extra wide feet.
Key Features
- Order the shoe style by Zephz on Amazon.
- Fits children with medium, wide, or extra wide feet.
- Extra padding around the ankles.
- I suggest that you get this soccer shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size.
4. Furon Dispatch by New Balance
This New Balance soccer cleat provides a firm heel counter and is capable of fitting children with medium or wide feet. The shoe incorporates cushioned insoles to reduce heel pressure, providing relief during active play.
- Order the shoe style Furon Dispatch by New Balance on the New Balance website or Amazon.
- Fits medium and wide feet.
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel.
- I suggest that you get this soccer shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size.
5. Predator by Adidas
This Adidas soccer shoe is durable, supportive, and provides a stable heel counter to support the foot, essential for maintaining alignment and reducing heel pain.
Key Features
- Order the shoe style Predator by Adidas on Amazon or Zappos.
- Fits children with medium and wide feet.
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel.
- I suggest that you get this soccer shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size.
In summary, the soccer cleats I recommend provide firm heel counters, extra padding around the heels, and they can fit the shape of a child with medium, wide, or extra wide feet. Once the shoes arrive, make sure that your child tries them on with the same pair of socks that your child will wear at the soccer field.
Get in Touch for a Personalized Soccer Shoe Recommendation
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you are unsure about which specific cleat might work best for your child’s heel pain. I am happy to provide you with specific soccer cleat recommendations tailored to your child’s unique foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide):
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
What Is the Best Way to Tie Your Kids’ Soccer Cleats?
I also want you to apply a specific shoe lacing technique that is going to help secure, protect, and support your child’s heels. Here is a video that might help you better visualize how to apply this specific shoe lacing technique so your child can get better support and stability:
Heel Cups Vs Sports Insoles for Heel Pain
If after trying the shoes I recommend your child still complains about heel pain during soccer games or soccer practice, then I suggest we try a pair of heel cups inside the shoes. Heel cups for heel pain offer additional support and cushioning, stabilizing the heel and minimizing pain.
There is one specific heel cup that offers superior shock absorption, protects the heel, and prevents foot fatigue. In addition to being one of the most advanced shock absorbing heel cups available today, it offers relief from Sever’s Disease while protecting the heel from high impact.
Best Heel Cups for Kids with Heel Pain for Extra Support
- Ideal to treat and prevent general heel pain, plantar fasciitis, Sever’s disease, excessive pronation, Achilles tendonitis
- Innovative multi-cell, multi-layer waffle pattern design, helps to absorb impact pressure (shock) and return impact energy back to the feet
- The extra cushion this heel cup includes reduces and prevents sore heels and shin splints
- Small Size – Fits from a little kid shoe size 10.5 to a big kid shoe size 6. Best for children under 80 lbs.
- Regular Size – Fits big kid shoe size 6 and above. Weight up to 175 lbs.
Children can wear this heel cup inside their everyday sneakers as well, just keep in mind that heel cups don’t fit inside any type of shoes. The shoes need to provide extra depth to allow the heel cup to fit deeply inside the shoes. The good news is that the soccer shoes I recommended all provide extra depth and are capable of fitting heel cups.
Choosing the Right Soccer Socks for Kids
We need to look for socks made from moisture-wicking materials to keep your child’s feet dry. Padded socks can also provide additional cushioning and support.
Don’t Forget to Have Your Child Stretch and Ice!
It’s important that you emphasize to your child the importance of stretching the calves and Achilles tendon. Ice, ice, and more ice. After play, make sure to have ice ready to help reduce any swelling. This will relieve some of the pain but not really help cure it.
Additional Shoe Recommendations for Kids with Heel Pain
In addition to soccer shoes, everyday sneakers play a vital role in managing heel pain. Properly designed sneakers can offer the support needed during non-sport activities. These shoes are essential as they are worn for longer periods and across different terrains, making them a critical component in maintaining foot health.
Do Cheap Soccer Shoes Lead to Heel Pain?
Not necessarily. I showed you some excellent choices that are offered at a reasonable price. The price of your child’s soccer shoes is usually not indicative of the support or quality of the shoes, you just need to make sure the cleats provide firm heel counters and extra padding and cushion around the heels.
Children are often not fully aware of how to articulate their discomfort, which can lead to a delay in addressing the root cause. Therefore, it is important for parents to be observant and proactive when it comes to their child’s foot health. Let me know in the comment section below if you have found a pair of soccer cleats that have worked well in significantly reducing or fully eliminating your child’s heel pain.
It is a great explanation and quite helpfull too but are they recomended for heel pain?
Hello Andrel,
The soccer cleats I recommend work well for children with heel pain as they provide firm heel counters and targeted support right below the heel area. Whether the child might need a heel cup fitted inside the soccer cleats depends on the degree of the child’s heel pain.