Children often complain of knee pain. It may be a sign of a serious illness. After all, in addition to SARS and indigestion, there are many other diseases. Therefore, it is important to monitor the manifestation of even the slightest symptoms that disturb the child. Because they may be a sign of a more serious illness. Why does a child have knee pain? This question cannot be answered unambiguously. Since there are a lot of reasons that cause pain in the knee joints.
For most children, knee pain is not a sign of illness. It goes away with age. But still there are inflammatory diseases of the knee joints or systemic arthritis in children. If the disease is detected in a timely manner and consistently treated, then success in therapy is guaranteed.
Sometimes a child may lack the attention of a parent. Therefore, complaining of pain in the knees, he may need parental attention. Often children feign pain because they lack parental affection, especially during preschool years. If so, then usually the pain occurs when the parents are busy with something and do not pay attention to the child. If he plays or is busy communicating with other children, then discomfort usually does not bother him.
Rapid growth and Osgood-Schlatter
Child has knee pain at night or before bed. It usually affects older preschoolers or teenagers. This is due to the fact that during this period the child grows rapidly, and, consequently, his bones also grow. In such cases, the pain affects not only the knee, but also the lower leg. Osgood-Schlatter disease has similar symptoms when there is no inflammation in the joint and disappears after a few months.
Causes of pain?
There are different factors that cause knee pain. We will consider them now:
- Increased activity during the day.
- The intensity of movement, especially during sports activities, can also lead to knee pain. This is more common in obese children. Because the load on the joints is higher.
- When there is an overload of the knee joints, the pain will remain the next day.
- After a fall or injury, a fracture or crack in the knee joint is possible. At the same time, the knee swells, swells, the child complains of severe pain, it becomes impossible to move the leg.
- If the elastic cartilage is dislodged or damaged, mobility will be permanently limited.
- With tumors, osteomyelitis and other pathologies of the joints, the child's knees also hurt. What to do in such cases, only the doctor will tell. In this case, examinations and control may also be required.
Other causes of pain
The most common reason why a child has a knee pain is an injury. And even the simplest one can lead to serious consequences. After all, children's joints and bones are very fragile.
If there is inflammation or damage to the knee joint, the child will also feel pain. This may be the initial stage of arthritis that occurs after a fall or injury. When the baby falls, it can hit a hard surface, and this impact will be enough to cause inflammation or injury to the knee joint. Arthritis can be triggered by an infectious disease such as tonsillitis (tonsillitis).
Arthritis
If a child has red knees and swelling appears in their area, then these are the first manifestations of acute arthritis. Juvenile arthritis can be dangerous because the symptoms of this disease do not appear immediately. Moreover, there may not be obvious inflammation.
It could start with a child having a knee pain when they wake up in the morning or go up the stairs. It is possible to diagnose this disease only after X-ray examination and blood donation according to several types of tests. After that, adequate treatment can be prescribed.
This disease can occur when the immune system is weakened, and its causes have not been fully investigated. But there is an opinion, however, not confirmed by anything, that preventive vaccinations can provoke the development of the disease.
Congenital pathologies and neuritis
If the pathologies of the development of the joints are congenital, then the pain in themmovement can become constant. When the ligamentous apparatus develops slowly, it interferes with walking, and the child's knee hurts constantly. Therefore, you need to consult with a traumatologist and surgeon. Also, the cause of pain can be neuritis, that is, when the nerve is pinched or inflamed. If this happens, then you need to contact a neurologist.
Rubbing and massage
How to treat knee pain? More experienced parents who have gone through this know that rubbing with a warming ointment will help with nighttime complaints of knee pain. Suitable, for example, "Asterisk" or "Doctor Mom". You can also massage with warm hands. This will provide relief and help your baby sleep peacefully.
Falling or hitting can lead to torn or sprained ligaments, which will be characterized by pain. How to treat knees after such incidents? The knee is fixed with an elastic bandage. You also need to go to the emergency room for a consultation with a traumatologist.
How to treat knee pain? With physical activity in a teenager, pain under the knee can begin unexpectedly and for no reason. This may be a manifestation of Osgood-Schlatter disease, a little massage will help here.
Treatment of acute arthritis
If a child has a knee pain, and, in addition, there is swelling, redness, and a high temperature, this indicates that inflammation is manifested in this way, and you should definitely visit a doctor.
Treatment of acute arthritis should be started immediately. Medicines are usually prescribeddrugs that will relieve inflammation, and compresses with Dimexide. The child needs rest, vitamins and drink. The joint must be controlled. You also need to record any manifestations of arthritis.
Knee joint: causes of pain in it
To determine why a child has a knee pain, you need to know how the joint itself works. There are two discs (menisci) between the upper and lower bones of the knee. They share these bones. Ligaments, tendons, and muscles hold the bones of the thigh and lower leg together. And cartilage covers the surfaces of the bones inside the knee joint. It is necessary to absorb shock and provide a sliding surface so that there is no pain during movement.
So why can a child's knee hurt? Due to the fact that there was an injury or infection spread to the area. But a sprain can heal without the intervention of doctors after a certain period of time.
Knee structures (cartilage, tendons, bursae) may be damaged. And it will cause pain in the knee. Also, such discomfort will be present if various knee structures are damaged.
Pay attention to complaints
Often, due to the solution of their problems, parents do not pay attention to the complaints of the child, which can lead to such a dangerous disease as chronic arthritis. It can cause damage to the joints, heart, eyes, and lungs. Therefore, a timely visit to the doctor will not only cure the child, but also save his life.
Today isa disease, like arthrosis, is often detected already at the age of 20, and osteochondrosis - at 30. Therefore, any child's complaints can frighten parents even more. Especially if there is no apparent reason for them.
Overvoltage
So why might knee pain occur? If there was a long walk or very intense physical education, then there may have been an excessive load on the body, in particular on the joints. An elastic bandage should be wrapped around the area where the pain appeared.
If these symptoms recur, you need to carefully choose the load for the child. In this case, all factors should be taken into account: overweight, flat feet, etc.
Ligament injury
How to treat knees with injuries and deformities of the joints and ligaments? First you need to pay a visit to the traumatologist, who, after X-ray diagnostics, will determine the severity of damage to the knee joint. Before that, you need to fix the leg so that it has as little load as possible.
Small conclusion
Now you know why a child may have pain in the knee area. As you may have noticed, these can be serious diseases. Therefore, at the first complaints of the baby, it is better to take him to the doctor and conduct a diagnosis in order to exclude the presence of serious pathologies. Indeed, at the initial stage it is easier to cure a particular disease.
