Pediatric Leg Pain
“Mom my leg hurts!”. Has your child ever complained of leg pain with no injury to blame?
It is quite common for children to experience aches and pains in their legs during their developing years. Growth spurts combined with increased activity and sports, especially involving running and jumping, can lead to inflammation at tendons and their insertions near the growth plates. These conditions are often temporary but can come and go during growing years. Physical therapy treatments, rest, and medications prescribed by your pediatrician or orthopedist can be effective in managing the symptoms associated with these conditions. Two of the more common conditions we see in the clinic are Osgood-Schlatter Disease and Sever’s Disease.
Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) typically causes pain and swelling below the knee joint, where the patellar tendon attaches to the top of the shin bone. This pain can lead to flare ups throughout a child’s growing years and is often associated with overactivity with running and jumping type sports. Children diagnosed with OSD should limit their activities that increase pain. If the pain levels lead to limping or other abnormal movement patterns, the child should completely rest from the activity or sport and monitor their condition. Applying cold packs for 10-20 minutes a few times a day can help reduce inflammation and pain. Kinesiotape applied to the patellar tendon may help improve blood flow and further reduce pain. If the pain persists, children and young adults often respond well to physical therapy for stretches, exercises, manual treatment as well as modalities and further education on their condition.
Sever’s Disease is a painful condition of the growth plate in growing children. It often occurs when the tendon that attaches to the back of the heel pulls on the growth plate at the heel. This inflammation is caused by repetitive stress at the heel. Symptoms usually begin with pain in the back of the heel and increase with jumping and running type sports. Children who have recently had a growth spurt and have muscle tightness are more likely to suffer from this condition. Typical treatment consists of foot orthotics, stretching exercises, manual therapy/myofascial techniques, strengthening of the foot and ankle as well as education on reduction of sports play and proper rest. Thankfully, Sever’s does not usually develop into long term foot or ankle problems, but it can come back from time to time.
It is important to remember that many children have pain in their legs without any obvious cause and these are often labeled “growing pains.” Even though the child can have significant pain in their legs, typically there is no damage happening to their bones or muscles and growing pains can respond to simple treatments. It is especially important to seek medical attention from your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment if the pain persists.