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3yo's knees hurting
What on earth would cause a 3.5yo's knees to hurt all the time? My little boy complains of his knees hurting continually. Sometimes I think it's a bid for sympathy, when he's in trouble. But then I wonder, "Maybe he's cranky *because* his knees are bothering him." Other times, I know for sure he's telling the truth because he tells me out of the blue. I don't feel comfortable giving him ibuprofen every day. I try to reserve it only for bedtime every once in a while, on the nights he mentions it.
I plan to take him to his new pediatrician as soon as I am certain the insurance has switched us to her. I was just wondering if anyone here has any clues?
Comments
I, of course, go immediately to JRA
or Juvenile Rheumatiod Arthritis. Is there any swelling associated with it? Is it worse in the morning as soon as he wakes up? If either of these are a "yes" make your doctor rule out JRA. There are blood tests but they are inconclusive. X rays and bone scans don't work, at least not with us they didn't. We only got a definitive diagnosis with DD from an MRI.
You can go to the Arthritis Foundation's website for more info on it. My pediatric rheumatologist said that they're the only website who's information he trusts on the subject.
I found out about JRA by doing a google search with "limping toddler" as the key words. DD started limping at 20 months but wasn't diagnosed with JRA until much later.
We've found that Motrin doesn't work at all. We have prescription naproxen for DD when her ankle hurts.
Hope you find out what's causing it, soon.
______
"If you want your children to be bright, read them fairytales-- if you want them to be brilliant, read them even more fairytales" Albert Einstein
I was gonna say
ask Hata.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Has he had a growing spurt la
Has he had a growing spurt lately? Mine used to cry with their legs hurting and it was growing pains.
I don't know if there is a "usual" age for growing pains to hit them. . .seems like mine were a little older than 3 1/2 though.
I lose track of your kids
Which one is the 3 1/2 year old?
Thanks!
It's John Douglas (J.D.).
I checked the chart. I can't tell if there is swelling around the joints (I guess I'd have to observe over a period of time). No redness or anything, of course. He complains of it almost daily. He doesn't limp. Occasionally he wakes up in the middle of the night (not fully awake) kicking his legs and crying.
I'm glad to know that about the hips, too. I'll mention that to his pediatrician. Better make an appointment today!
Knees
My son's knees started hurting at about the same time (3.5 yrs). Mine did as well when I was young. I remember waking in the night crying in pain...it seems common, so I'm doubting arthritis for my son (no swelling, redness, just pain when he's finally resting). When I would wake, my dad would rub D.M.S.O. on my legs and the pain would vanish. It's actually a muscle relaxant for race horses that you can usually only get from a vet (and some animal supply stores). I hadn't been able to find it for my son, so I bought some of my mother-in-law's mint cream (which has essential oil of spearmint and peppermint in it) and rub that on him. It at least gets him through the night and helps him sleep. Sometimes I do a combo of motrin and the mint cream, if he's having a really hard time getting rest, but that is rare.
Another theory (my own) is that 3.5 is when kids start really PLAYING I mean: jumping, running, rough housing with siblings, etc. and so the joints get jostled a bit more, and are getting stronger, as I out grew it, and his pains are coming less and less frequently (he's 4 now).
3 1/2 yr old Knee's hurtin
I am going through the same thing my son is exactly 3 1/2 yrs old and he tells me several times a day every day that his Knee's hurt and he cries and like you I dont feel comfortable giving him the motrin a lot. So I think like you I am going to make an appointment with his ped. I am affraid of it being Juvenile Arthritis because my husband had that as a child.
Growing Pains = pre-teens and teenagers (actually, not)
Generally preteens and teenagers get growing pains around their knees and shins. Three years old is too young, I think.What I said above turns out to be wrong. We saw DD's pediatric rhematologist today and he said that young children as CAN have growing pains, that typically the pain is above or below the knee, and occurs at night.
My mother used to give my niece extra calcium supplements when my niece had growing pains in her legs. I don't know if that's correct or just "folk wisdom"-ish, though. Your Dr. would know, most likely.
______
"If you want your children to be bright, read them fairytales-- if you want them to be brilliant, read them even more fairytales" Albert Einstein
Here's a good diagnos-it-yourself chart
at MDAdvice.com for "pain in knee in child under 12". Maybe it'll give you something to go on when you talk to your doctor about this.
Also, I read that knee pain may indicate trouble with the hips, so have his hips checked out, too?
______
"If you want your children to be bright, read them fairytales-- if you want them to be brilliant, read them even more fairytales" Albert Einstein
I remember...
when I was about 7 or 8, crouching on my knees in bed at night, rocking from side to side because my shins ached so badly. I think the rocking action must have massaged them or something, but I know it helped. If nothing else, maybe it just distracted me. I also remember, as a teenager, our MD always asked me about my joints, no matter what I was in the office for. It was a long time before we found out that there was some kind of condition common to teenagers that he was likely checking for.
Julie
"We must have patience for love, born of an accidental look." --Me
My 3 1/2 yr old son had knee pain also
Hi I dident know I would ever find someone who is going threw the same thing i have been since my son turned 3. Is your son knock kneed? Bull legged? Pigeon toed or flat foot? I have brought my son to the pediatrian,pederatic orthopedic, x ray after x ray and now tomorrow they are doing a mri. I am so nervous but we need to rule out everything, I know about the being woke up in the middle of the nite and her your innocent child ion excrutiating pain cause there legs hurt, I know all about the tylnonol motrin etc,,, I now found a good pediatric orthopedic who explained to me he might have discoid meniusus and they are ruling out other things. My son is knock kneed and he does not have pain 24/7 like some days he can play alot and have no pain and other days he can play and run and be up 2-4 times a night... So do talk to your pediatrition and be on them like i am with my son cause growing pains should not come so often and be so painful. My son bends his legs up and down when he is in pain like he is trying to stretch them out., Good luck we will see what the mri says for us,, ttys Amanda
Pain in the Knees
My little Girl started complaining about pain in the knees almost right after she turned 3. At first I thought it was just because she was on the all the time playing but just recently she was starting to complain about them when she woke up in the morning. Im am starting get concerned about it know.. So I looked here.
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