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Unilateral leg pain in 6 year old.
Hi,
I have a son who will be 6 years old next week. Since he was about 3-1/2 years old, he has had periodic leg pain that usually happens between 3-6 a.m. and sometimes last for about 30 minutes to an hour (rarely) after he gets up in the morning. Sometimes he does not wake up in the night but complains when he gets up in the morning. The pain is almost always unilateral, the left leg, but on occasion he complains that the right one is hurting as well.The pain is ALWAYS in the front of the shin, as far as we can pinpoint together, it is in seems to be the shin bone, below the knee to mid shin. He had this evaluated by an orthopedist when he was 4, who did an x-ray from the pelvis down. X-rays were negative and the only thing that was mentioned was some pronation of the feet. His pediatrician recommended a calcium supplement, but that did not seem to make a difference. When he was 5, his pediatrician did some blood work. CBC was normal. ANA was negative. They had trouble getting blood from his tiny vein and so SED rate was unable to be obtained.....That is the extent of the workup. He is almost 6 now. Here is a summary of symptoms: Leg pain almost always starts between 3 am and 6 am. Motrin or Tylenol helps if he is actually crying with the pain. If it is in the morning, we use a heating pad and that seems to work until pain subsizes. It is almost always unilateral, left leg. He has weeks where he does not wake up with it (though sometimes if he has sneaked into bed with me I feel him kicking his legs and moving them around, and also have noticed him hold his leg with his left hand in his sleep). Some weeks seem worse than others. Everything I have read says that "growing pains" syndrome is usually bilateral. But I would think an injury wouldve been caught on x-rays and/or would have healed by now. He will see his pediatrician for his Well Child visit in a few weeks and I am not sure if there is any other workup that I might be able to discuss with his doctor.
Thanks
Michelle
I have a son who will be 6 years old next week. Since he was about 3-1/2 years old, he has had periodic leg pain that usually happens between 3-6 a.m. and sometimes last for about 30 minutes to an hour (rarely) after he gets up in the morning. Sometimes he does not wake up in the night but complains when he gets up in the morning. The pain is almost always unilateral, the left leg, but on occasion he complains that the right one is hurting as well.The pain is ALWAYS in the front of the shin, as far as we can pinpoint together, it is in seems to be the shin bone, below the knee to mid shin. He had this evaluated by an orthopedist when he was 4, who did an x-ray from the pelvis down. X-rays were negative and the only thing that was mentioned was some pronation of the feet. His pediatrician recommended a calcium supplement, but that did not seem to make a difference. When he was 5, his pediatrician did some blood work. CBC was normal. ANA was negative. They had trouble getting blood from his tiny vein and so SED rate was unable to be obtained.....That is the extent of the workup. He is almost 6 now. Here is a summary of symptoms: Leg pain almost always starts between 3 am and 6 am. Motrin or Tylenol helps if he is actually crying with the pain. If it is in the morning, we use a heating pad and that seems to work until pain subsizes. It is almost always unilateral, left leg. He has weeks where he does not wake up with it (though sometimes if he has sneaked into bed with me I feel him kicking his legs and moving them around, and also have noticed him hold his leg with his left hand in his sleep). Some weeks seem worse than others. Everything I have read says that "growing pains" syndrome is usually bilateral. But I would think an injury wouldve been caught on x-rays and/or would have healed by now. He will see his pediatrician for his Well Child visit in a few weeks and I am not sure if there is any other workup that I might be able to discuss with his doctor.
Thanks
Michelle
Best Answer
I'm also wondering what ever came of this. My daughter will be 6 next week and is complaining of unilateral tibia pain in the early morning. She goes for a check up mid-July.
I know this was three yrs ago but your child's leg symptoms sound almost identical to my 5 yr old almost 6 in less than a month. Whatever came to be of you son's pain? My son wAs diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis last November but has been symptom free since then. This pain is also in his tibia, not his joints, unlike in the fall. Look forward to hearing from you.
In addition to dehydration it can also be a sign of low magnesium. Can he eat nuts if so some great ones for magnesium--especially almonds and cashews. If he like spinach that is also another good source.
I hope this helps,
achilles2
I hope this helps,
achilles2
In addition to dehydration it can also be a sign of low magnesium. Can he eat nuts if so some great ones for magnesium--especially almonds and cashews. If he like spinach that is also another good source.
I hope this helps,
achilles2
I hope this helps,
achilles2
Hi, I have 4 children and while none of them had such severe symptoms we found that generally if they were getting the leg pains at night they were dehydrated.
It won't hurt to give him as much water to drink as you can during the day and feed him foods with a high water content.
Hope all goes well
Tracey
It won't hurt to give him as much water to drink as you can during the day and feed him foods with a high water content.
Hope all goes well
Tracey
Hi,
Thank you for the advice. RLS did cross my mind. He does seem have some symptoms of lack of sleep more recently, even though he goes to bed at 8:30 p.m. and sleeps 10 to 10-1/2 hours. I will discuss this with his pediatrician in a couple of weeks. Thanks again.
MM
Thank you for the advice. RLS did cross my mind. He does seem have some symptoms of lack of sleep more recently, even though he goes to bed at 8:30 p.m. and sleeps 10 to 10-1/2 hours. I will discuss this with his pediatrician in a couple of weeks. Thanks again.
MM
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I am sorry to hear about your son suffering so much in pain. Even though he is so small, in all probability the pain is due to restless leg syndrome, as it always comes when he is asleep. The leg pain of RLS typically eases with movement of the legs. Usually cause of RLS is not known but few medications such as lithium, antidepressants and beta-blockers (such as bisoprolol) can trigger the symptoms. Other reasons of RLS could be rheumatoid arthritis, kidney failure, diabetes or any underlying heart disorder. In addition restless syndrome has been found to be associated with stress, fatigue, magnesium deficiency, vitamin B-12 deficiency, anemia and other systemic diseases. Hence tests must be run to rule these out.
Though there is no permanent cure of RLS, regular & sound sleep helps get relief from symptoms. Supplements of iron/vitamin also help some. Sometimes medications such as levodopa, bromocriptine, oxycodone may be tried to provide some relief from the symptoms. Other useful measures are stretching, alternate hot and cold packs or baths, massage and applying vibrators on the feet and legs before bedtime. Relaxation and meditation can also help.
Please discuss this with his pediatrician and try and see a sleep specialist. Hope this helps! Take care!