I would have you son checked for calcaneal apophysitis. This is a rather painful condition which often times can mimic the symptoms which you describe. Generally the treatment for this is ice massage, as well as rest and nonsteroidal's such as Motrin. Orthotics have been shown to be of some benefit in this condition as well.

Additionally there is a particular strapping which although difficult for a parent to do, it has been shown to be effective as well.

The good thing, is that if calcaneal apophysitis is the problem, although painful, it will improve as he matures. Basically, for lack of a better term it is inflammation of the growth center of the calcaneus (heel bone). If there is pain with compression of the posterior aspect of the heel (using your fingers from side to side roughly where the Achilles tendon inserts) this could be his problem. I would bring this up at your next visit.

Summer

 

Carolyn:

Even though it is very difficult to diagnose your son's condition with the limited information you have presented, he probably has pain in his foot and ankle from his overly pronated foot. No surgery should be done on your son unless custom foot orthoses are first made for him with special modifications to control the excessive pronation in his feet.

In my twenty years of practice, I have seen literally hundreds of children in this age group with flat feet and the exact same symptoms. Once they receive foot orthoses, and are in appropriate shoes, about 85-90% become asymptomatic or have only slight pain with very aggressive physical activities. I would only reserve subtalar implants for those children that showed only partial improvement with foot orthoses.

If your podiatrist has not already suggested foot orthoses for your son, then I would suggest finding another podiatrist. Please tell me where you are located and I'll try to help you find a good podiatrist that knows how to make effective custom foot orthoses so that your son can be more comfortable and resume his normal activities without pain.