Leg Pain in 6 Year Old

My son had bad leg pains at 8 or 9 years old. The doctor didn't think too much about it. We finally put him on a multi-vitamin and it seemed to help. Hope this helps you.

I would not hesitate taking her to a specialist . Do not make her suffer any longer. It could be something simple or not. Either way i would not depend or her regular Dr. to have all the answers. Have them send her to a specialist. Good luck and I hope all will be well.

My son had constant pain in his wrists and legs. His doctor told me it was from a lack of calcium. He recommende three doses of calcium a day. I am not talking about pills or anything like that. He recommeded fortified orange juice, any foods fortified with calcium, or even a tums. My son was a picky eater at 6 so it was easier to get him to take the fruit flavored tums 3 times a day. He is 13 now and into everything (marching band, cross country, and wrestling).

Yes, this happened to my 2nd child. It is lack of calcium. I had to give him a separate calcium supplement and it went away. When he slacks off at times that he shouldn't, he gets the pain back. But, when he is eating foods rich in calcium....broccoli, etc., he does great. (By the way, this is my only child that drinks cow's milk....which I find terrible for anybody's body. This never happened to my other children and they do not drink cow's milk.)

I figured it out pretty quickly, but before I did....I felt helpless...I know he was in great pain.

My hope is that this is what your little girl's problem is and easily fixable. Good luck! Would love to know if this helped!

Hey S.,

They may be growing pains. I know, but I am a Girl Scout leader and one of my girls was having the sma problem. Her feet or legs would start to hurt and then she too started to say that it was her whole body.They took her to the doctor and her bones are growing faster then her muscles with is causing pain and discomfort. I would have the doctor look at it just to make sure,ease your worries.
I hope this helps and I wish you luck.

T.

Be careful and keep an eye on her. Keep notes about her pains, where they are and what time of day they occur. It could be something as bad as lupus or nothing at all.

My daughter is 6 and she has the sames pains and aches. I am pretty sure it is only growing pains. I just give her rub downs and warm baths. This seems to be a common thing in our family. I even remember having growing pains as a child. We are all very tall people in my family, but I don't know how much that has to do with it. I wouldn't worry about it unless the child is getting sick and running fever with the pain. one more thing Doctors are not Gods and dont' always know everything! I have discovered this the hard way too many times. When I was in nursing school one of my teachers said that no one knows your body like you do. So go with your instinct and always get more than one opinion if you are not getting any Clear answers from your doctor. Hope it passes soon.

Hi S.,

I agree with Donna that it is probably a lack of calcium. If you would like to know a good absorbable calcium supplement let me know. Most don't absorb and most will also create free radicals which is another can of worms.

Also, if she is drinking sodas they will cause this problem. The phosphoric acid will eat bones and we, as a culture, drink more sodas than we used to. Food processors are also putting this in more and more food today as well.

Hope I helped and feel free to get back to me.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

My mom use to put rubbing alcohol on our legs to help ease the pain. Hope that she gets to feeling better soon!

S.,
I had those pains as a child and my mom didn't listen to the doctor when they said it was growing pains (it hurt more at night for me). She took me to a specialist and they determined that I had juvenile arthritis. I'm 41 years old and at the time all my mother could do is give me motrin (or the equivalent) and heating pads. It helped. Not sure if there are any other medications available these days for juvenile arthritis.

Point being, I'd take your daughter to a specialist to have some peace of mind.

Good luck,
L.

Hello S.,

I was always told that you should check outthat leg pain if the child can point to the exact spot where it hurts..I would definetely go see the doctor again, and ask for x-rays or catscan. Also is your child overweight, do you have diabetes in the family? Diabetic nerve pain can cause that pain your daughter is describing..Go see a doctor and get second opinions if the pain continues..I wish you all the best and please let us know the outcome.

Check into RLS. I had something similar when I was a child and they tried to tell me its growing pains. It wasnt until I got in the military and still having these pains before I was diagnosed. They will need to run a blood test because it could be iron deficient anemia. Hope this helps. -R.

Has your daughter recently had a viral infection like the flu? There is a condition called benign acute childhood myositis that can occur after fighting a viral infection. It's more common in boys but it does happen in girls too. It causes severe pain in the muscles, sometimes making it difficult to walk. From what others have told me, the pain does go away and there are no long-term problems. Here's a website with more info: http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/index.aspx?puid=.... You may want to talk to your doctor about this.

I hope she feels better soon!

YOu took her to the pediatrian right? How asking for a referal to a specialist? Has your daughter been more active lately? Playing any kinds of sports, dancing, etc

Hi Susan
This also happened to my son when he was five and six. It went on for a long time and he would cry also. Our Pediatrician said at first it was growing pains and to use alternate tylenol and motrin every 5 to 6 hrs. After a few weeks of this and no relief I took him back and he then ordered blood test and x rays to rule out any child hood arthritis. Stick to your guns and take her back and ask him about this possiblity of arthritis. With my son it was just growing pains and it eventually went away and when we measured his height after the pain was gone he really had grown about 2 inches in height. Check your family history as well for any forms of bone arthritis and ask your ped to atleast check for this with a simple blood test and xray.
Cindy

Hi S.,
Seeing a Chiropractor is the best place to start with this. Not to mention, least invasive. Growing pains will often present like this, particuarly in the muscles. However, her fibula (bone that comes up from the outside ankle) could have slipped out of place. This causes her tibia and knee cap or patella to all be misaligned. This is a very easy fix by a Chiropractor. I am a Chiropractor and I cant stress how beneficial this treatment would be for your child, not just for her knee but her entire body and immune system. left untreated this type of problem can lead to a condition called plica syndrome. Again, this is why a chiro is a great place to start to prevent future problems. Best of luck to you guys:)

Hmmm, I'd give her Emergen-C because it has all the needed electrolytes, and calcium/magnesium for muscle pain and a warm bath at bedtime, maybe with Epsom salts, add yogurt/acidophilus to her diet and see if that helps.
hope she feels better soon!

I am no doctor but I was one of those children who could "feel myself grow". I seemed to grow in spurts and I would get growing pains. They do hurt but they usually last for a few hours at a time and will slowly fade away as the groth spurt slows down. I experienced them in my legs and my feet, just as your daughter is.

Hi S.. I don't want to freak you out and only mention this because I know a few people who have been misdiagnosed but you should have her checked for Lyme Disease. My aunt had Lyme and muscle pain was her most prominent symptom. She kept going to the doctor and for some reason they never checked her for it. Finally she got a second opinion and that's what it was.

Here is a website that talks about the different stages and symptoms of Lyme Disease: http://arthritis.webmd.com/tc/lyme-disease-symptoms

Have you thought about trying a chiropractor? She may have something pinching a nerve that is affecting her legs. Kids her age can't always describe in enough detail the exact nature of their pains because they don't have the reference points from life experience. Look for a good wellness based, family chiropractor. I use Atlantic Coast Family Chiropractic in Summerville, SC. If you're in the Charleston area you should look at her website and give their office a call. The chiropractor there is Dr. Heather Wyant and she has cared for my family for the past few years.

OMG I am almost 50 and I remember this pain.. Doc said it was growing pains etc...... I don't really have any advice since back then they said "just shake it off"..... It is a real pain and someone should find a way to make it more bareable for kids.........Good luck & bless your child

7

Hi,

Just checking to see how your daughter is now doing... my son is having leg pain in the mornings and can barely walk at times. I know that growing pains tends to be in the afternoon and evenings...so this is a little concerning

My daughter has been experiencing the same problems! She has not yet been to the doctor but I am thinking the same thing, "Should I be worried? Could it be something more serious than growing pains or muscles?"...So if you have gotten any further information on this issue, I would love to know..

Thank you:)

hi im melissaw i think you should check more into this.we have to listen to our bodies.her body is telling you something.ask your dr for a specialist.she sounds as if she is tired of the pain.some times we have to tell the drs what we want.i learned the hard way with my health.dont give up until you know why their is pain and have a solution.good luck and god bless,please keep us informed ill worry.

Hi S.,
There is a great cranial osteopath in Suwannee, Ga named Dr. Richard Armond (see www.cranialacademy.org). He has done amazing things for my pain. The pain could be in the area of fibromyalgia, but go the natural route with an osteopath (find one on that site) or chiropractor. If that does not resolve, you can go a further route in looking into the medical side (using a practice like Progressive Medical, etc). Inflamation is often the cause of that kind of pain. Immune flairs and causes inflamation, you may get to offending foods. Start easy and work your way.
I hope she gets resolution soon. J.

Hi S..

all of my children had issues with growing pains. None of them had pains all over and the pain was located athe the ends of the bones near the joints. Needless to say they are all taller and will be taller than me. All from the father. If it is muscle related a magnesium supplement will help. Magnesium is essential for muscles. A calcium supplement is never a bad idea for anyone. However, do not rely on dairy products for the calcium. dairy blocks the absorption of many nutrients. Please don't just believe me on this look it up!! This is one reason the US has so many bone problems. I'm sure your daughter would enjoy a rub down also. Making sure to keep the strokes toward the heart even when massaging the hands. This will help with circulation and relaxation.

If feel something isn't right go back to the doctor, you're the best advocate they have. Maybe some basic bloodwork would rule certain conditions out like juevenile rheumatoid arthritis or Lyme disease like another post said. Do her joints hurt?

S., I have a 32 yr old son & a 28 yr old daughter. When my son was the age of your daughter, he complained of the same thing. He was born with a clubbed foot so I knew the orthopedist very well. He said that at that age, the bones grow faster than the muscles. Therefore,"growing pains" which I had thought was just a wives's tale.I gave my son Advil or Tylenol so he could sleep. That was not advice from the surgeon, just what I chose to do.

If it is in fact muscle pain, have her eat a banana every morning. The banana's potassium will help her muscles stop hurting. This has been helpful to me with muscle pain. But DO seek a second opinion from a specialist. Good luck!!!

S. -- always, always go see a doctor for this! If your dr is a pediatrician or gp, he/she should refer you to a specialist. There are many tests to narrow down/rule out certain conditions.