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? When children play soccer they put a lot of extra pressure and stress on their feet, which can lead to heel pain. The best soccer shoes for kids with heel pain are the ones that provide firm heel counters and extra padding and cushion right below the heels.
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. I always recommend parents to be proactive and don’t take the “wait and see approach” when it comes to treating their children’s heel pain.
Has Your Child Been Diagnosed 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 to a better 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 comfort will.
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. Also, the deeper the heel can sit inside the shoe, the more protected and supported your child’s heels will be. Let me show you the difference in padding between one of the soccer cleats I recommend a different style:
What Makes the Soccer Cleats I Recommend Effective for Heel Pain?
1️⃣ The soccer cleats I recommend provide 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 shoes is located:
Before you buy your kids’ soccer shoes you should always press on the heel counter of the shoes and make sure it feels firm.
2️⃣ The soccer cleats I recommend also come with extra padding around the heels, which is going to cushion and protect your child’s heels. Let me show you an example of a soccer cleat that provides extra padding around the heels:
In addition to finding a soccer cleat that provides targeted support to your child’s heels, the cleats must fit the shape of your child’s feet perfectly. I have found that another common reason why children experience heel pain is from wearing soccer shoes that are too narrow.
Are You 100% Sure of Your Child’s Foot Shape? – Let’s Find Out!
Did you know that there is a large number of children who have wide or extra wide feet? Most soccer cleats are designed on the narrower side to fit the foot snuggly and give the player a better feel when kicking the ball, so it’s important to make sure that your child’s soccer cleats are wide enough. I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home.
Soccer is characterized by sprinting, stopping, cutting and pivoting maneuvers. This is the reason why shoe fit is essential and frictional resistance must be within an optimal range.
Best Soccer Shoes for Kids with Heel Pain – Extra Cushion and Padding
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best soccer shoes for kids with 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.
- Order the shoe style 442 V2 Academy by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Available in medium and wide widths
- Works well for children with high insteps
- Lace-up closure for a secure fit
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Furon Dispatch by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Available in medium and wide widths
- Lace-up closure for a secure fit
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Predator by Adidas on Amazon
- Not available in wide or extra wide widths but fits naturally wide
- Works well for children with high insteps
- Lace-up closure for a secure fit
- Comfortable lining to improve the first foot feel
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style by Zephz on Amazon
- Available in wide and extra wide widths
- Padded collar to increase comfort and prevent blisters
- Lace-Up closure
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style by Zephz on Amazon
- Available in wide and extra wide widths
- Extra padding around the ankles
- Lace-Up closure
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Predator 24 on Zappos
- Not available in wide widths but fits naturally wide
- Cushioned heels
- Firm heel counters
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Adidas shoe style Goletto VIII on Zappos
- Not available in wide widths but fits naturally wide
- Cushioned heels
- Firm heel counters
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
In summary, the soccer cleats I recommend provide a firm heel counter, 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 he/she will wear at the soccer field.
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 that shoe lacing technique in your child’s cleats:
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.
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
Below you can find the best heel cup for kids with heel pain. Heel cups are a more effective and affordable solution to orthotics. Children can wear this heel cup inside their everyday sneakers as well.
- 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.
Heel cups don’t fit inside any types 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 shoes I recommend all provide extra depth and are capable of fitting a heel cup.
Additional Tips – 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.
Get in Touch for a Personalized Shoe Suggestion
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you are unsure about which specific cleat might work best for your child’s heel pain:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
What Are the Best Everyday Sneakers for Kids with Heel Pain?
I created a different resource that has a list of supportive sneakers for kids with heel pain.
Let us 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.