Medically reviewed by Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM — Board-Certified Podiatric Surgeon — Balance Foot & Ankle, Howell & Bloomfield Hills, MI. Last updated April 2026.

Foot Pain in the Teenage Years

Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and intense athletic activity — a combination that creates unique vulnerability to foot and ankle problems. Michigan’s vibrant high school sports culture means teenage athletes frequently push through pain that deserves evaluation. At Balance Foot & Ankle in Howell and Bloomfield Township, Michigan, we regularly see teenage athletes from school programs throughout Livingston and Oakland Counties and provide sport-specific evaluation and treatment.

Growth-Related Conditions: When Pain Is “Normal” Development

Several painful conditions in teenagers result from the mismatch between rapidly growing bones and the muscles and tendons adapting to new lengths. Sever’s disease (calcaneal apophysitis) causes heel pain in active 8-14 year olds from Achilles traction on the growing heel bone growth plate — it resolves when the growth plate closes. Iselin disease produces outer foot pain at the fifth metatarsal base for similar reasons. Osgood-Schlatter disease affects the knee’s tibial apophysis, altering gait and indirectly stressing foot structures. These “growing pains” are real, treatable, and self-limiting — they do not indicate permanent damage.

Overuse Injuries in Teen Athletes

Training specialization in a single sport year-round — increasingly common as competitive youth sports intensify — creates repetitive overuse injuries. Metatarsal stress fractures are common in cross-country runners, dancers, and basketball players. Plantar fasciitis occurs in teenagers with flat feet in sports requiring extensive running. Achilles tendinopathy develops in volleyball, basketball, and track athletes. Ankle ligament sprains — the most common sports injury in teenagers — frequently don’t receive proper rehabilitation, leading to chronic instability.

Acute Sports Injuries

Ankle sprains remain the #1 sports injury in teenagers. High school basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track all generate frequent ankle inversion sprains. The critical issue in teenagers is distinguishing ligamentous sprains from growth plate fractures (Salter-Harris fractures) at the distal fibula — which can have identical presentations. Any significant ankle injury with growth plate point tenderness in a teenager deserves X-rays and clinical evaluation. Lisfranc injuries, while rare in teenagers, occur in lineman football players and contact sport athletes and can be career-altering if missed.

Red Flags: When Teenage Foot Pain Needs Urgent Evaluation

Most teenage foot pain is benign, but certain presentations require urgent evaluation: night pain that wakes the teenager from sleep (concerning for bone tumor or infection), progressively worsening bone pain not associated with activity (same concern), constitutional symptoms (fever, weight loss, fatigue) with musculoskeletal pain, rapidly expanding soft tissue masses, acute ankle fractures or severe sprains, and foot or ankle pain in a teenager with juvenile inflammatory arthritis. The rare primary bone tumors that do occur in adolescents (osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma) can present as persistent bone pain misattributed to overuse — early recognition is life-saving.

Keeping Teenage Athletes in the Game

Our approach to teenage athletes prioritizes keeping them active wherever possible — complete rest is rarely the best solution for growing athletes’ physical and psychological wellbeing. Activity modification, cross-training, targeted rehabilitation, and appropriate protection devices (boots, bracing) allow most teen athletes to maintain meaningful training even while managing injuries. A proactive podiatric evaluation at the start of a competitive season identifies biomechanical risk factors that can be addressed before injuries occur.

Foot or Ankle Pain? We Can Help.

Balance Foot & Ankle — Howell & Bloomfield Township, MI

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Teen With Foot Pain? Know the Difference Between Growing Pains and Injury

Foot pain in active teenagers can be normal growing pains or a sign of sports injury requiring treatment. Dr. Tom Biernacki accurately differentiates between the two and provides appropriate care to keep your teen athlete healthy and active.

Learn About Pediatric Sports Podiatry | Book Your Appointment | Call (810) 206-1402

Clinical References

1. Caine D, et al. Epidemiology of injury in child and adolescent sports: injury rates, risk factors, and prevention. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2008;27(1):19-50.
2. DiFiori JP, et al. Overuse injuries and burnout in youth sports. Journal of Athletic Training. 2014;49(3):306-316.
3. Soprano JV. Musculoskeletal injuries in the pediatric and adolescent athlete. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2005;4(6):329-334.

Your Board-Certified Podiatrists

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM

Board-Certified · FACFAS

Dr. Carl Jay, DPM

Board-Certified Podiatrist

Dr. Daria Gutkin, DPM

Podiatrist

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM is a double board-certified podiatrist and foot & ankle surgeon at Balance Foot & Ankle Specialists in Southeast Michigan. With over a decade of clinical experience, he specializes in heel pain, bunions, diabetic foot care, sports injuries, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Biernacki is a member of the APMA and ACFAS, and his patient education content on MichiganFootDoctors.com and YouTube has reached over one million views.