Incidence of calcaneal apophysitis in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Calcaneal apophysitis, or Sever's disease, is a traction apophysitis. It is a frequent cause of heel pain in children. Knowledge about the exact incidence of calcaneal apophysitis in the general population, however, is lacking.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

METHODS: From 34 general practices, records of patients between 6 and 17 years old, visiting the general practitioner (GP), were analysed. Diagnoses of calcaneal apophysitis were counted using computerised registration networks of GPs in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

RESULTS: There were 16,383 SOAP files searched and a number of 61 children with calcaneal apophysitis were established over the years 2010, 2009 and 2008, showing an incidence of 3.7 in 1,000 registered patients.

CONCLUSION: This is the first report on incidence rates of calcaneal apophysitis in general practice. With an incidence of 3.7 in 1,000 registered patients, it is a common pathologic entity, which requires more research on pathophysiology and therapy. The actual incidence may even be higher due the strict inclusion criteria of this study.