What to do if a child complains of leg pain for no apparent reason: symptoms and treatment. Why a child’s legs may hurt - causes of pain in a child’s legs

A five-year-old child complains of pain in his legs at night, tosses and turns, and cannot fall asleep for a long time. This behavior of the baby frightens the parents and forces them to start looking for the causes of the pain. It becomes especially alarming when you install the real reason fails: tests are normal, studies say that the child is healthy, but the pain does not go away.

This “incomprehensible” ailment is called “growing pains” in medicine; they occur in 15% of children. They appear in children at the age of 4-5 years and can bother (intermittently) until the age of 12-13 years. This pain does not have a clear “fixation”: today the child may feel it in the foot, tomorrow in the lower leg, ankle, forearm or shoulder. It occurs suddenly, without visible reasons(bruises, sprains, fractures), bothers children at night and in the evening. You can distinguish growing pains from others by a number of signs:

Occurs only during rest.
The pain is not sharp (aching, pulling).
The sore spot does not swell or redden.
The pain is not accompanied by fever or rashes.

What causes growing pains in children's legs?

U modern medicine There is no clear position on the causes of growing pains in children. There are two popular theories explaining why a child’s arms and legs hurt: supporters of the first believe that aching pain arise due to the periosteum, which simply cannot keep up with the rapid growth of the limbs; adherents of the second are sure that growing pains appear in the child’s fragile muscles and ligaments. They bother children during periods of active growth (5-6, 9-10, 13-14 years old); they are also associated with excessive stress.

It has been observed that growing pains most often bother children:

physically active (athletes);
with (flat valgus feet);
with hypermobility of ligaments and joints.

Growing pains in children's legs occur at night or in the evening when the body is relaxed. In themselves they are not dangerous and disappear without a trace over time. However, without consulting a doctor, it is sometimes difficult to find the true cause of the pain.

When do growing pains in children's legs require a visit to the doctor?

Other diseases can be “masked” as growing pains. You need specialist advice if:

the child complains of prolonged pain in only one limb;
the child’s condition worsens, he begins to limp;
pain bothers you not only at night, but also during the day;
the child has lost his appetite and is losing weight;
joints and muscles swell;
the child complains of a headache.

How to help if your child’s arms and legs hurt?

Growing pains are short-term and not dangerous, so no specific treatment not required. Severe pain that interferes with normal rest and good sleep The child can be weakened by:

massage. The baby's hands and feet need to be rubbed and stroked. Light pinching and patting of the “sick” area is allowed. Massage will increase blood circulation and relieve spasms;
warming up. It's better to keep warm traditional ways: warm bath with salt or herbs, warm towel or diaper, heating pad. You can put high socks or knee socks on your child's feet. Special warming gels, creams or ointments can be used as recommended by a doctor;
exercises. Some children with growing pains are helped by the “birch tree” exercise (stand with legs raised high) or “bicycle”. Sometimes, to improve your condition, you can simply walk around the apartment and jump;
diets. Every child needs balanced diet, and during the period of intensive growth, vegetables and fruits, cereals, milk, legumes, meat, fish are especially needed;
medicines. For pain in the limbs, the doctor may prescribe a painkiller. The dosage is calculated individually, taking into account the age of the child.

Growing pains in children are quite normal phenomenon, which you just need to “outgrow.” They cause discomfort, but at the same time they indicate that the child is actively growing, at such moments he needs the love and care of loved ones.

When a child’s legs hurt, it causes a lot of worry and worry for parents. Pain in the legs can strike a child at the age of 3; first-graders and teenagers can also experience pain; in general, children are prone to such painful sensations different ages. Along with this, pain can manifest itself in different places, the most common complaints are that:

the child's calves hurt,
leg hurts in the thigh,
heel hurts
it hurts to step on your foot,
a teenager has pain in his knees,
The child's legs hurt at night.

The reasons why a child’s legs hurt are varied.
This problem can have many different manifestations, many of which are the source serious illnesses, and that is why adults should listen to the child and pay attention Special attention if his legs hurt.

From infancy to adolescence, the body grows daily. During the period of intensive growth, a whole series of changes take place in the child’s body. The main changes occur in bone tissue, in the muscular-ligamentous apparatus, in the structure of blood vessels, and metabolism increases. All these changes, combined with other external and internal factors may cause leg pain in children.

What to do if your child’s legs hurt? Since there are a series of factors that are dangerous for the subsequent development of a growing organism, they must be detected and eliminated in a timely manner. You should not take your child’s complaints about leg pain lightly and resort to self-medication.

What to do when a child’s legs hurt? If a similar complaint recurs and you notice lethargy in the child, the temperature has risen, or the baby is clearly in pain when stepping on his foot, you should immediately consult a doctor, since delaying treatment can affect the baby’s health.

Specialists, if there is a clear demonstration of pain in the legs and in the presence of other signs of the disease, prescribe a thorough laboratory diagnostics child.

Diagnostic methods used for research:

general blood analysis;
detailed blood test;
Analysis of urine;
temperature is measured;
radiography of joints, bones;
arthroscopy;
angioscanning.

When examining and interviewing the patient or his parents, the doctor is interested in such symptoms and manifestations that can cause pain in the legs, namely:

infectious diseases that the child suffered previously;
certain injury to the knee, leg, joint;
intestinal upset (the child has a stomach ache);
heat;
significant swelling and swelling in the joint area;
the child has pain behind the knee

What are the causes of leg pain in a child?

Age factor. This source of pain in the legs is considered one of the most prevalent in children, since in this phase of active growth and increased metabolism, the bones, muscle-ligamentous part, and vessels that supply them with nutrition are subject to intense changes.

Children before phase puberty They add length to their body mainly due to the growth of their legs; their legs and feet actively grow. The blood vessels that supply bones and muscles do not have time to guarantee sufficient blood flow, since they do not contain enough tensile fibers, the number of which increases only by 10 years.

During the child's daily activity ( constant load on the legs, knees, feet) blood circulation increases, which favors the growth and development of bone tissue. But at night, at the stage of absence of such activity, the vital activity of arterial and venous vessels decreases significantly, the saturation of blood flow in these areas decreases, and therefore occurs pain syndrome.

You can relieve such pain very simply: you need to massage or stroke the painful parts, thus increasing the blood flow to the legs.

At the age of 2-3 years, a child often has pain in his knees and calves muscle tissue. Such pain is caused by an inadequate supply of calcium and phosphorus to areas of bone tissue growth. Most likely, these microelements enter the body, but are poorly absorbed in the body.

Orthopedic defects. Often, the sources of pain in the legs in children are some orthopedic pathologies and defects, including drooping arches of the feet, incorrect posture, kyphosis, and scoliosis. With these problems, the center of gravity shifts, and therefore maximum pressure is placed on a specific area of the leg.

Developmental defects of the hip joints

In some cases, congenital pathologies can serve as a source of pain hip joints and illnesses in which bone tissue A degenerative-dystrophic process develops, among them the following stand out:

aseptic necrosis of the femoral head,
osteochondropathy of the tibial tuberosity and others.

The course of infection in the otolaryngological department. Numerous infections in the nasopharynx, for example, tonsillitis, inflamed adenoids, and caries, can also provoke the appearance of leg pain in children. In this case, it may be observed elevated temperature. Periodic examination oral cavity and nasopharynx from a specialist will allow timely detection of complications in this area and prevent negative consequences.

If your child has pain in their knee or other joints, it may be characteristic feature rheumatism or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Such diseases may be accompanied by some abnormalities endocrine system, for example, a disease thyroid gland, adrenal disease or even diabetes mellitus.

Some blood diseases are also accompanied by painful sensations in the legs, arthritis of the knees and ankle joints. In these cases, you may need to consult an oncologist or TB specialist.

If a child’s legs hurt at night, this may indicate neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypotonic type. In addition to pain in the legs, the child often has a stomach ache, discomfort in the heart area, headache, lack of air and general sleep disorder.

Genetic defects of cardio-vascular system again, they can be reflected on the legs. With some congenital defects of the aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta, a decrease in blood flow in the lower limbs, which will directly affect the child’s general health and fatigue in his legs.

These same sources of the disease include genetic underdevelopment of connective tissue, which is part of the structure of the valve apparatus of the heart, venous vessels, and ligaments. This may contribute to the appearance varicose veins veins, flattening of the arches of the feet, joint hypermobility, nephroptosis.

Joint pain during viral diseases(fever, acute respiratory viral infection, acute respiratory infection) - this is quite common symptom. Antipyretic and antiviral pharmacological preparations will help relieve pain and ease the progression of the disease.

Lower limb injuries

A bruise or injury to the leg is perhaps the most common source of pain in this area in children. At this age, children lead a very active lifestyle, little fidgets strive to get another bump or abrasion on their leg, knee, foot, or heel. Such injuries usually heal over time without outside intervention.

If you have pain in the joint, which is accompanied by swelling and redness of the affected area, you should immediately consult a doctor, since such a course of the disease may indicate infection, which can cause joint damage.

In one case or another, you should listen to the complaints of your children, observe their behavior, walking, and monitor the quality of the child’s shoes. Along with this, it is necessary to provide the baby with adequate nutrition, including a variety of nutrients, vitamins and microelements, which are essential for the normal growth and development of your children.

Many mothers have encountered a problem when their child complains of leg pain. The causes of painful manifestations can be very diverse - ranging from problems with bones, sprains, muscle ruptures and ending with damage to the limbs.

When asking yourself the question why a child’s knees and legs hurt, it is worth taking into account all the factors in the occurrence of the disease. Let's consider the main criteria for the origin of pain symptoms:

Problems arising from child development

In medical circles, there is a term for this cause: “growing pains.” Up to 20% of children aged 4 years may experience periodic pain. Symptoms most often appear from age 5 to age 12. Experts explain this process by the tension of tendons and muscles with the rapid increase in leg bones. The child may wake up at night and toss and turn restlessly. He may complain of pain behind the knee or pain in the knee joints when straightening.

Recommendations for eliminating pain symptoms - light massage, use of painkillers. A characteristic indicator of deviation is that when the baby wakes up in the morning, he feels absolutely healthy. If your child's knee pain does not go away, you should consult a doctor. The diagnosis will be made by a specialist after first examining the child, since the symptoms may be similar to other diseases.

Cardiopsychoneurosis

A disease of the cardiovascular system, which is characterized by pain in the child’s knee, headache, decreased attention, decreased activity of the child, discomfort in the heart and abdomen. The child's knees hurt at night.

Incorrect posture, scoliosis, curvature of the spine, flat feet

Due to improper formation of the spinal trunk, the center of gravity shifts, causing maximum pressure on a certain area of the leg.

Chronic infections

Staphylococcus, tonsillitis, adenoiditis are a few of the possible ENT diseases that occur in children. The presence of ailments indicates an existing infection in the body, which is reflected in pain in the legs. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor according to the patient’s tests.

Violation of connective tissue formation

Usually this disease is congenital and is a hereditary manifestation. If there is a lack of elements from which it is built connective tissue, serious developmental deviations occur. Children with this diagnosis may suffer from varicose veins, myopia, scoliosis, flat feet, prolapse mitral valve and other diseases. At an older age, disorders of the musculoskeletal system may be observed; in adolescents, knees hurt.

Schlatter's disease

The disease occurs more often in children over 10 years of age. With this pathology, adolescents experience pain in their knee joints and a lump forms under the knee. After bone growth stops, the symptoms disappear, but the resulting bone mounds require treatment, since they do not resolve on their own.

Injuries, bruises

Children, due to their activity and mobility, often find themselves in situations that result in sprained ligaments. At mild form damage health care not necessary, symptoms go away after a while.

Stress, overexertion

In cases of frequent agitation, the child may limp on his leg. If the abnormalities do not go away the next day, you should consult a doctor.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Usually occurs before the age of 7 years. The cause is a previous infectious disease, for example, rubella, mycoplasma, hepatitis B, as well as injuries and failures immune system. Knee pain in a child begins in the second half of the night, when the muscles are relaxed and joint stiffness appears.

Avitaminosis

Children aged 3 years and older experience unpleasant pain symptoms V calf muscles. The causes of these manifestations are a lack of calcium and phosphorus, which do not enter the bone growth zone.

Symptoms

Depending on the causes of the disease, the following manifestations occur:

When a muscle is strained, the pain can be both quite sharp and tolerable. Teenagers are more likely to damage muscle fibers, because they are more active, complain of pain in the knee, and feel physical suffering when bending;
It's a dull pain. Knees hurt in adolescence quite often, because periodic annoying pain, which manifests itself at night, when the body and all muscles are relaxed, causes your child regular torment;
infectious diseases manifest themselves on the body and organs;
diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Such ailments are visible to the naked eye; the child’s shoulders are on different levels, the baby sits unevenly.

Doctors

If your child has knee pain, you should consult a pediatrician. After the examination and tests, he will refer you to a specialist if such help is needed.
If you have pain in your legs, you may need to see the following doctors:

Hematologist.
Pediatric neurologist.
Orthopedist-traumatologist.
Otolaryngologist.
Allergist-immunologist.

Diagnostics

As soon as you hear or notice your baby’s complaints about bothersome pain in the legs unusual behavior, it is worth conducting an initial inspection yourself.

You need to pay attention to general state child, appetite, temperature, behavior.

The main cause of concern is growth signs. There is no reason to worry in this case, but it is better to make sure of the root cause of the disease and contact a professional. Especially if you notice such manifestations:

Symptoms occur in the morning and throughout the day.
Constant pain for a long time.
Violation of general condition.
Combination of pain with lameness.

All observations must be described to the doctor. The specialist will conduct an examination, take necessary tests to establish an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment

If your child’s knees hurt due to overexertion, you can use traditional methods in the form of baths and compresses. For example, smear the sore spot with honey and tie it with a bandage, and wash it off after a day. This method will relieve discomfort.

In case of bruises, you need to wrap your leg elastic bandage, having previously lubricated the damage with warming ointment.

When detected in the body infectious diseases The doctor will prescribe a course of therapy, after which you will have to take tests again to ensure recovery.

If there are problems with the spine, a course of massage will be required.

For pain in the joints or if there is pain behind the knee, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve swelling, pain, and fever.

Prevention

Necessary measures aimed at preventing leg pain in a child include:

A complete diet, including fish, vegetables, dairy products, fruits. Receiving essential vitamins and minerals, the child will be able to develop and grow normally.
Active games and exercises. Physical exercise strengthen the baby's muscles, promote bone growth, and when running, all joints are developed and blood circulation improves.
Dress your child in comfortable shoes. Wearing properly sized shoes with hard soles is required. In no case should you buy your child extra shoes, as the foot may not form correctly. Minimize the time you wear sneakers; they should only be worn for a few hours a day.

Have you noticed your child's anxiety or has he complained of discomfort in his legs? Do not ignore this fact, because early diagnosis disease will help you quickly and less painfully cope with the disease.

Bibliography

When writing the article, the traumatologist used the following materials:

Girshin, Solomon Grigorievich Knee-joint: damage and pain syndromes: [head. on the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and some diseases of the knee joint] / Girshin S. G., Lazishvili G. D. - Moscow: NTsSSKh im. A. N. Bakuleva RAMS, 2007 (Moscow: NTsSSKh im. A. N. Bakulev RAMS) 351 p. ISBN 978-5-7982-0182-2
Sencha, Alexander Nikolaevich Ultrasound diagnostics. Knee joint [Text] / A. N. Sencha, D. V. Belyaev, P. A. Chizhov. - M: Vidar-M, cop. 2012. - 193 p. ISBN 978-5-88429-166-9
Bubnovsky, Sergei Mikhailovich My knees hurt. What to do? [Text]: [myths and misconceptions associated with knee treatment, new approaches to the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis, knee restoration after injury and surgery, exercises for the treatment of knee pain: 16+] / S.M. Bubnovsky. - M: Eksmo, 2014. - 186 p. ISBN 978-5-699-72285-3
Borshchenko, Igor Anatolievich Secrets of knees that don’t hurt [Text]: [knees and shoulders will like this book: 16+] / I. Borshchenko. - M: Metaphora, 2017. - 207 p. ISBN 978-5-85407-151-2

A child's foot hurts for many reasons. This may be due not only to the growth of the baby himself, but also to various pathologies in the joints, bones, muscles, etc. In addition, leg injuries should not be ruled out, since children are very mobile.

As soon as the baby began to complain about painful sensations, it is necessary to try not only to alleviate his condition, but also to find out the cause of the illness. It is best to go to the hospital to make a diagnosis and choose the most optimal treatment for your baby.

Causes of painful sensations in the feet

There are many reasons why children have pain in their legs, including their feet. This may be due to a variety of processes in the baby’s body:

Bone growth.

The most common reason is childhood baby, as his bones, ligaments, muscles, and blood vessels, which supply nutrition to the musculoskeletal system, begin to actively grow. Before puberty, the child's height increases mainly due to the intensive growth of the legs. It is the foot and lower leg that grow more intensively. Places with the most active growth require intensive provision nutrients and oxygen. The blood vessels that weave around the muscles and bones cannot cope with such a large load, since they do not have an insufficient number of elastic fibers. Their number becomes sufficient only at 8-10 years. Blood circulation during active movement improves, and when the baby sleeps, the intensity of blood circulation decreases, which causes pain due to a sharp drop.

Orthopedic pathological phenomena in the legs.

The causes of pain may be various pathologies in leg development. For example, this may be due to scoliosis, posture problems, and flat feet. In such cases, the center of gravity shifts, which leads to changes in pressure on the feet. For example, this may be due to pathology of the pelvic joints. In addition, osteochondropathy also has a negative effect. Pain in the feet can cause Schlatter-Ostud disease and Perthes disease.

Infectious processes of a chronic nature.

The child may have lesions in the joints inflammatory processes which are caused various infections. Moreover, the infection could spread to the feet with tonsillitis, caries, adenoiditis, influenza and other diseases. In this case, inflammation in the joints is a secondary disease, that is, it is considered a complication. By the way, if your leg hurts like that, then this may be the first symptom of arthritis or rheumatism. These diseases can also be caused by diabetes mellitus, problems with the functioning of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland. This can lead to cartilage tissue being replaced by bone growths, which will impair joint mobility.

Ossalgia.

This process most often makes itself felt at night. In addition to pain in the legs, the child feels discomfort in the abdomen and in the heart area. A headache appears and sleep is disturbed. The child feels a lack of oxygen.

Heart pathologies and blood vessels

Certain malformations of the blood vessels and heart can also lead to discomfort and pain in the legs. In this case Small child will begin to stumble and fall often. He will often complain to his mother that he is tired and his legs hurt, they do not listen to him. You need to check the baby's pulse in the arms and legs. If there are problems with the heart and blood vessels, the pulse will be difficult to feel or even absent when checked on the legs.

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What should parents do if their child has foot pain?

It is imperative to listen to the child’s complaints and keep an eye on him. It is necessary to choose comfortable shoes. It is best if the insole is orthopedic to prevent the development of various diseases of the legs and back. A child should not be constantly wearing sneakers, no matter how comfortable they are. Shoes should have firm soles, but they should be soft on top. Be sure to buy shoes that fit.

The child should not sit all the time. Let him play actively outside, as this will only strengthen his muscles and bones. Nutrition should be complete. It includes grains, legumes, fruits, herbs, berries and vegetables. Fish and seafood are healthy.

Parents should pay a lot of attention to the well-being of the baby and monitor his health. At the first complaints, you need to get help or consult a doctor. If your legs hurt after the flu, sore throat, diarrhea and other illnesses, then you should tell your doctor about it.

If painful sensations in the legs are caused by the normal growth of the baby, then you can relieve pain from with the help of the lung massage that will help you relax. Warm baths in various decoctions will be useful. You can prepare a compress and leave it on the sore spot for a short time. In more severe cases, it is allowed to use Diclofenac or Butadione in the form of ointments before bedtime. If the pain during growth is too pronounced, then you can take a tablet of Paracemol, Ibuprofen or Nurofen. But you need to drink them in an amount 3 times less than the recommended dosage for a baby.

Often, during a consultation with a pediatrician, parents ask the following question: why does the child’s leg hurt? For many years, pediatricians have been diagnosing this symptom. The conclusion of their study was the fact that leg disease is not a rare phenomenon. Many children between the ages of 2 and 11 have pain in either one or both legs.

Why might a child's leg hurt?

Often children cry at night for a reason severe pain in the leg. Mild pain begins in the evening and intensifies at night so that the child cannot sleep from pain. This has medical explanation– the child is growing, and his legs are experiencing rapid growth. Therefore, the pain causes him discomfort.

During the day, blood circulates intensively in the child’s legs and active metabolism occurs. And at night, the child’s tone of arterial and venous vessels decreases. This is precisely why blood flow in rapidly developing limbs slows down. As a result, the child feels pain.

Therefore, children are familiar with the so-called twisting pain. For some children it continues until the age of 12, while for others it goes away only at the age of 17, at the very end of school.

What to do if your child has pain in his legs?

What can you do if your child’s leg starts to hurt? Sometimes it is enough to just stroke or lightly massage the child’s sore leg, after which, as a rule, the pain subsides and the child falls asleep. This action increases blood flow to the muscles.

In addition, children have pain in their legs due to the disease

flat feet,
scoliosis,
back diseases, in which loads are incorrectly distributed throughout the body and concentrated on the legs and knees.

In this case, only contacting a surgeon and diagnosing the underlying disease will help.

Be that as it may, it is important to examine the child in a timely manner, paying attention not only to the children’s feet, but also to the general condition of the child:

for temperature,
is there any loss of appetite,
Is the child in general good shape?

Parents should be especially attentive to the well-being of their children. It is important to try to record the time when the child most often experiences pain in the legs, and then, together with specialists, try to identify and eliminate the source of pain, which can also be caused by:

colds,
angina,
adenoid disease,
tonsillitis
and even caries,
as well as a leg injury
and bowel dysfunction.

To diagnose a disease, it is important to tell pediatrician all symptoms and take all tests necessary for the study. In this case, only a doctor can answer the question of why the child’s leg hurts. After all, everything in the body is interconnected.