Our daughter is 2-1/2 and has been complaining off and on for a while (I think a few weeks now) that her leg hurts. Occasionally she will even wake up at night crying and saying that it hurts. We can't figure out what the problem is or what to do, other than giving her children's Tylenol at times when it really seems to be bothering her a lot. Her legs look perfectly normal, with no marks or bruises or anything, and we can't recall any incidents having occurred in which she might have injured her leg. I have heard of "growing pains"; could this conceivably be the problem? Should we just take her to the pediatrician to have it checked out?
Thank you, everyone, for your concern and suggestions, including increased fluids, potassium and massage - I was not aware of those possibilities. I have just made an appointment with her pediatrician to hopefully rule out any more serious causes of the problem. Thanks again!
Hi G.,
Sounds like growing pains. Get some massage oil for toddlers and massage her legs.
that will help. Good luck. D.
The number one cause of leg pain in small children are cramps. As toddlers, they tend to drink less fluids and are more active.
Try giving her extra water and bump up the potassium (sweet potatoes and potatoes are best, but bananas can help too.)
Works for my daughter.
HTH,
C.
Better safe than sorry, see the pediatrician ASAP and demand an MRI and/or an Xray just to alleviate your worries. That way you will know its growing pains and not something worse.
Good luck!
I remember when we were young that my sister would do the exact same thing--crying, sometimes screaming, constantly for days on end about her legs hurting. Turns out they were just growing pains. I would suggest that you do take her to the pediatrician just to be on the safe side, but I'm guessing that's exactly what's going on. Good luck!
Hi G.,
It very well could be growing pains. My son has the same problem and he wakes in the middle of the night screaming in pain. We now give him Motrin (it lasts longer than tylenol) before he goes to sleep on the days he is more active. It seems to be worse on those days. It is also bad on the days he does not nap. I would keep track of the activities she is doing before and when it happens. If you can see a patteren, you can give her the relief before she is in pain. Good Luck.
L.
G.
I agree with Lori, its better to get it checked out just to be safe and have a definate answer. Insist on an xray and/or mri. I think its better to see it for yourself!
My kids are 4 and 5 and their legs hurt from time to time - this morning as a matter of fact. I assume they are growing pains (or wanting some attention) and if I rub them it seems to make them feel better. If they continue to complain I give them Tylenol, though those times are few and far between. Considering your daughter's age and the frequency of the pain, I would talk to her pediatrician. Although it is likely growing pains, leg pains can be a sign of leukemia. Like the previous poster, I am not trying to scare you. However, as the mother of a young son with leukemia I tend to be cautious. I recently requested bloodwork for my daughter because she was showing some symptoms that made me nervous. It turns out she is okay. If your daughter seems overly tired, has a lingering cold, looks pale or has brusises that aren't healing in a reasonable amount of time those can be signs as well. Again, I'm not trying to alarm you, but if she has any of these other symptoms or if something doesn't feel right to you, please have her examined.
My daughter has done this for quite a while as well. I've heard many little girls go through this with their legs. It's like growing pains. Give your doc's office a call though to verify.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
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my son (11) was complaining constantly about his knees hurting him, and i kept saying "growing pains" i finally took him to the chiropractor and he hasn't complained in 2 weeks! i've asked him on occassion and he just says "No mom, Dr. Bove fixed it :)".
here's a website that might help you feel better about growing pains tho???? http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/04_leg_pa...
Take care!
S.
It could be leg cramps. Commonly a banana a day will cure them because the banana has needed potassium. Children do sometimes get growing pains, too, if they are in a period of time when they are growing quickly, but growing pains would also be associated with an increased appetite and sleeping more.
I have a slightly different approach to this. Yes, my 4 yr. old daughter also gets pains in her legs, and she's off the charts for height - so it definitely could be growing pains.
But she started waking up in the middle of the night crying and screaming that one or the other leg hurt REALLY badly. It finally hit me that her foot/leg would "fall asleep"! I realized that she would fall asleep with one leg propped up on the other. Inevitably she'd wake up screaming and we would have to rub and gently shake it to get the blood back to the leg and foot! Oh yeah, and it would also happen more frequently when she outgrew her size underpants. The legs of the underwear were essentially cutting off the circulation to her legs. All things to think about!
Hi G.,
My son is 4 1/2 and has been having these same type of pains for about 2 years now, mostly at night. Our pediatrician confirmed that for him it is growing pain. If he has a really busy day, I just give him Motrin before bed so that he doesn't get woken up in pain. Sometimes he wakes up in severe pain, and all we can do is give Motrin and rub his leg(s) until they feel better enough to fall asleep. I would definately check with the pediatrician though and if he agrees it is growing pains, it might be helpful to give tylenol or motrin before bed if she has a really busy/active day.
My sons has this a lot as well. I chalk them up to growing pains as well. I do two things. First make sure she gets enough water during the day. Water will help with the joint cramps and pains and then the ibuprohen as well when she actually has them. Not much else you can do I don't think.
Just one of the joys of being a kid (:
A.
My son has these growing pains as well. When he wakes at night, I will give him Motrin and then massage the legs until he falls asleep. Like some other moms said, the days he is more active make the worst nights! Keep that in mind!
Has she had a cold or anything like that lately ? When my son was a little over 3 he had what sounds like the same thing, his sometimes looked like he was dragging his leg behind him. After a few days i got nervous and scared that something was really wrong. He complained about it but not ALOT. Anyways we took him to the Dr. and he had an infection in his knee joint they said that it was from a normal cold just settling there. NOTHING MAJOR.
Hope this helps, and hope she gets better soon !
Hi G.
I think you should take your daughter to her pediatrician.
Let the Doctor tell you its growing pains.
We have to careful when a child keeps complaining about someting.
Hi G.
A mom I met from my son's preschool said her daughter was complaining of her legs hurting and she thought she was milking it a little not wanting to walk and wanting to be carried. But she ended up having leukemia. I don't want you to panic I know this sounds scary and this might not even be the case but it is something worth getting checked out to be sure.
R.
My daughter does the same thing...I have a rare hereditary muscle condition called hypermobility syndrome and I was diagnosed at 13 my daughter is showing symptoms already she has a 50/50 shot of having it since hubby doesn't have it but I do. My rhumatologist couldn't figure out where I got it then my mom started showing symptoms last year got her into my rhumy and diagnosed her. The reason I am telling you this is because if it gets bad and continues it wouldn't hurt to get her checked out to make sure it isn't something else causing the pain. Best of luck hope she feels better soon :) we live in the wilkes barre scranton area so if you would like the name of my rhumatologist just private message me he is the best of the best I wdnt undiagnosed for a while finally got a referral to him within 3 minutes he told me what was wrong with me and is very understanding and takes good care of us all :)
HI G., Is the pain only ever in one leg? IT seems to me that "growing" pains would be noticable in both - but I"m not a doctor so...I'd probably make an appointment with her ped. Since it's lasted more than just a few days and has been interrupting her daily life (AND nightly sleep) I think it would definitely warrent a conversation and check up.
Hi G., As a orthopedic Dr. once told me, "There is no such thing as growing pains. Think about it, if there were babies would scream and cry non-stop until they were 3 yrs old!" I had knee pain and my legs felt "wiggly" a lot as a child, my parents thought it was "growing pains" and gave me an asprin and told me to go to sleep. In my 30's I found out that I had miss-aligned knee-caps and that was the sourse of my pain & "wigglies". Had I been diagnosed as a young child I could have been given excersises and possiably corrective support that would have benefitted me throughout my life and elimated the surgery I face in a few years. Hind sight is always 20/20 and medical advances are fast and furiouse these days! My advice is to take her to a peds orthopedic doctor and have him check her out. Another factor that leads me to believe that you should have her checked out is the experiences that friends of mine have had with health issues involving international adoptions. Best wishes.
My son went through the same thing right around the knee area. I was told it's growing pains. I put an ice pack on it and give him motrin and elevate it with a pillow. Someone just recently told me to get it checked out cause it could be a form of hip dysplacia as well.
