Ankles and knees hurting

[Anonymous]

My kid is playing soccer again (rec) after taking a couple years off. After every practice he complains of his ankles hurting and sometimes his knees as well. Do I need to invest in nicer cleats? I just got a basic $25 pair from Dick's. He is playing on grass, not turf. Or is there some other reason this could be happening? Can I have him practice in sneakers? He is an active kid and happily runs, hikes, and plays for hours in sneakers and often crocs so this is new. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

How old is your kid? Unless he's very young, I think you should upgrade to better-quality cleats. I was spending $100 on cleats by the time my kid was in middle school, and he had special inserts (he's flat-footed) that were equally as expensive. I don't play about my kids' feet! The knee thing could be Osgood-Schlatter, it's very common and both my kids had it as did several teammates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is playing soccer again (rec) after taking a couple years off. After every practice he complains of his ankles hurting and sometimes his knees as well. Do I need to invest in nicer cleats? I just got a basic $25 pair from Dick's. He is playing on grass, not turf. Or is there some other reason this could be happening? Can I have him practice in sneakers? He is an active kid and happily runs, hikes, and plays for hours in sneakers and often crocs so this is new. Thanks!

So ankle I would get checked out by a sports medicine doctor. If cleats are the problem it is usually a blister or foot pain. Ankle pain can make him compensate and changes his gate which will could be causing the knee pain or vice a versa. If he locks in the gate it could be with him a long time. Forward physical therapy patient!

[Anonymous]

What age? Definitely have him play in good running shoes for the next few practices at least as a healthy kid shouldn't be having pain from just rec practices.

[Anonymous]

Maybe try some insoles?

https://currex.com/products/cleatpro

[Anonymous]

What age? Those are places where you have classic growth pains.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, if he's not going through a growth spurt, I'd mention to his ped. I know a kid whose Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis started out this way.

A healthy kid should not have sore joints after a practice on a regular basis.

[Anonymous]

Every year for three years there are always 2-3 kids on DD's soccer team who are having growing-type pains. We've heard similar for kids who play basketball.

The bones grow quickly but the muscles aren't there yet so high impact practices put a lot of strain on those muscles. To some extent it's genetic. Some kids are more vulnerable to getting those pains. It usually goes away within a few years.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the responses. He is 9 and not one to typically complain much, so I'm going to get this checked out. In the meantime, I'll have him practice in sneakers for the next couple practices and see if that helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone! I appreciate the responses. He is 9 and not one to typically complain much, so I'm going to get this checked out. In the meantime, I'll have him practice in sneakers for the next couple practices and see if that helps.

My ds had horrible pains at 8/9 from buying cheaper cleats and I had to start buying expensive ones which made an immediate overnight difference.

[Anonymous]

9 is too early for growing type pains.
You need better cleats and inserts. Make sure you are buying the right size and width.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9 is too early for growing type pains.
You need better cleats and inserts. Make sure you are buying the right size and width.

I don't think that's true. These pains start a few years before puberty kicks in because the initial growth takes place in the ankle area before you see the spine lengthen. My child was in track at age 10 and had the knee pain which went away in about half a year like everyone said and he started to grow at age 11.5.

[Anonymous]

My now 10 yo daughter had this problem and we went to a sports othropedist who was incredibly helpful. Basically, when kids are growing, they often don’t have the muscle mass to hold their bones and tendons in place properly, so exercise causes pain. He gave us some strengthening exercises that solved the problem when done regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone! I appreciate the responses. He is 9 and not one to typically complain much, so I'm going to get this checked out. In the meantime, I'll have him practice in sneakers for the next couple practices and see if that helps.

My ds had horrible pains at 8/9 from buying cheaper cleats and I had to start buying expensive ones which made an immediate overnight difference.

What do more expensive cleats do/have? Do you recommend a brand?? What is an example cheap cleat price vs example expensive? I’m sorry we are fairly new to all this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My now 10 yo daughter had this problem and we went to a sports othropedist who was incredibly helpful. Basically, when kids are growing, they often don’t have the muscle mass to hold their bones and tendons in place properly, so exercise causes pain. He gave us some strengthening exercises that solved the problem when done regularly.

We’re the exercises you got for just the ankles or full leg. In other words, did the orthopedist recommend exercises to strengthen more than just the part that hurt or just focus on the hurting part? Wondering if need to strengthen a knee, for example, to compensate for hurting ankle