After seeing her doctor, Natalie's heel pain has been diagnosed as issues with her growth plates. This is good news. No hairline fractures, no tendonitis, no bone bruises, no spurs, etc. The doctor said the condition would cease when Natalie...how do I put this delicately so as not to embarrass my daughter...reaches the next step in maturing as a woman (which will probably be relatively soon).
Can she still run? Yes, but with a little less intensity for awhile. Perfect timing, since cross-country is over and track doesn't start until next spring. We'll run a couple of races together between now and then, but any other running she does will be pretty low-key.
She'll still see the PT on Wednesday to get more info on how to treat the problem. Her doctor today said that stretching & icing the achilles and calves would help, along with adding heel cups to her shoes. She also said that if there was too much irritation for too long, it could result in my problem - Haglund's Deformity. Hopefully that won't happen.
While I'm not happy she's had to go through this pain, I am relieved it's not a more serious situation. I'll follow up after our PT visit on Wednesday.
That's the best possible news! Excellent! :-)
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