The Best Heel Cups for Kids with Plantar Fasciitis
Has your child been complaining about heel pain or have they been recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis? Insertable heel cups may be just what your child needs to support their heels, relieve some of this heel pain, and prevent further pain from developing. In this article, I will discuss the #1 podiatrist-recommended insertable heel cups for children with plantar fasciitis or more general heel pain.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis involves inflammation of the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone to the toes (plantar fascia). Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain.
While there are multiple potential causes of plantar fasciitis, increased levels of activity or the structure of your child’s foot (having a high arch or flat feet) are key contributors to developing this condition.
Furthermore, your child’s shoes may be affecting or even worsening their heel pain. Ill-fitting shoes, shoes that lack arch support, or shoes that have become worn out are all factors that put your child’s plantar fascia at risk of inflammation.
What Are the Risks of Untreated Plantar Fasciitis?
Although plantar fasciitis can generally resolve itself without treatment within a few months, for some individuals, plantar fasciitis becomes a chronic condition. Chronic plantar fasciitis can result in your child experiencing general foot, knee, hip, and back problems since this heel pain can impair their normal walking patterns. When children experience heel pain they may change their walking gait to avoid putting too much pressure on their heels. Unfortunately, this new walking pattern can then lead them to put too much pressure on other areas of their feet that they are not supposed to. As a result, additional foot, knee, leg, and lower back pain can occur.
In these cases, treatments should be taken up as soon as possible to limit the effects of chronic plantar fasciitis. Furthermore, for any child who has plantar fasciitis, taking up a few easy treatments can help speed up their recovery process and relieve some of their current heel pain.
What is the Best Way to Treat Plantar Fasciitis in Children?
In most minor or moderate cases of plantar fasciitis, a combination of physical therapy (targeted heel/foot stretches and exercises) and wearing the right kind of supportive shoes, sometimes with insertable heel cups, is sufficient and extremely effective to treat this condition.
In more severe cases of plantar fasciitis, more invasive treatments may be necessary. Be sure to talk to your child’s doctor if they are still experiencing heel pain even with these standard treatments (physical therapy, supportive shoes, and heel cups).
Why Use Heel Cups?
In cases where a child is still experiencing some pain even with supportive shoes, they may need to wear a pair of heel cups inside of these shoes for extra support.
I recommend first trying out some of these shoes and seeing if they help to lessen your child’s heel pain. If their pain persists, then I recommend looking into insertable heel cups. Of course, be sure to consult your child’s doctor or physical therapist before trying them as these heel cups are a type of small foot orthotics and may not be for everyone.
What Makes the Heel Cup I Recommend Effective for Heel Pain? – 3 Reasons
1️⃣ Shock Absorption: The heel cup I recommend offers superior shock absorption. Its innovative multi-cell, multi-layer waffle pattern design, helps to absorb impact pressure (shock) and return impact energy back to the feet. The multiply-layer design ensures that both light impact pressure and heavy impact pressure get absorbed by the cup, significantly reducing the amount of pressure or pain experienced in the heels.
Since children are constantly in motion, this level of shock absorption is extremely important. Children experiencing heel pain when running, jumping, dancing, or participating in other high-impact activities may especially benefit from wearing these heel cups.
2️⃣ Heel Comfort and Protection: These heel cups provide immediate heel pain relief by both cushioning and supporting the key areas where their pain is located.
3️⃣ Reduces Foot Fatigue: The extra cushion this heel cup includes reduces and prevents sore heels and shin splints, allowing your child to maximize their time and/or athletic performance on their feet.
Below you can find the best see cups for kids with plantar fasciitis. 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.
The Best Heel Cups for Kids with Plantar Fasciitis
Tuliʼs Heel Cups are the #1 podiatrist-recommended heel cup in the world.
- 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.
Are You Unsure About How to Fit These Heel Cups Inside Your Child’s Shoes?
For your child to get the full benefits that Tuli’s heel cups have to offer you must fit them in the correct pair of shoes. The shoes also need to be the correct size as shoes that are too big will not secure the heel cup in place.
I also recommend taking a look at another article where I describe how to best fit your child’s heel cups into their shoes. Properly inserting your child’s heel cup will further ensure they are sized and fit correctly.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions about these heel cups or how they can best accommodate your child’s plantar fasciitis/heel pain:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
Have you tried this heel cup before? Is there another heel cup that has worked well for treating your child’s heel pain? Let us know in the comments below so other families can benefit from your experiences 🙂