15yo with serious knee pains, growing pains?

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Now she was skiing the week before last but has been home 9 days and wasn't moaning about aching legs when she came back. Plus she says it's more of a pain in the knee (both knees) rather than aching quads.

Started Thursday but has got worse over the last couple of days to the extent where she can't walk upstairs. It's at its worst going upstairs, fairly bad going downstairs and fine on the level. She's actually sitting on her bum going up the stairs now. Sister reckoned it might be growing pains but she's never had growing pains before, are they this bad??

She hasn't banged them, they're not swollen or bruised.

[5608Carrie]

Get her checked out by GP tomorrow. Growing pains are a myth.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Thanks, I wasn't sure that growing pains were an actual thing.

Will get her seen by the GP.

[Purplehonesty]

I have inflammatory arthritis in both knees - it flared up after a did a sea raft race and came on all of a sudden.
My doc said it was most common in much younger girls ie teens.
So don't be fobbed off - I had exactly the same symptoms as your describe in your dd
Ask for blood tests. That's how they will see if there are markers for arthritis.
Hope it's not that tho!

[Sparklycat]

Could be bursitis if she's done a lot more exercise than she's been used to over the past few days.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

I guess I could take her to see my physio before going to the GP and rule out stuff like bursitis or patella problems.

[justabigdisco]

'Growing pains' are not a myth, they are a name given to unexplained nighttime limb pain (usually lower legs and feet) in young children. Once other causes have been ruled out.

However if she's 15 then other causes are more likely. Look up Osgood-Schlatters and see whether the description fits. Agree to see GP

[Sparklycat]

A physio would probably be more helpful than a gp anyway

[BabyGanoush]

My son had something similar when he was 12, the GP said that when kids are growing sometimes the knee caps are a bit loose (as tendons, muscle and bone don't all grow at the same rate) which can cause pain, which then gradually disappears again.

Apparently this happens especially with sporty kids/kids who do lots of exercise, around growth spurts.

Have the GP look at it. It may well be something like this? Have it checked out though.

[notamummy10]

Has she been ill recently? I've got idiopathic arthritis pretty much everywhere. I got my diagnosis due to having a fever!

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Does she have flat feet? Is she hyper mobile? My DD is both of the above and had knee pain suddenly at around 14. Orthotics and physio worked wonders.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

I don't think she's flat footed and she certainly isn't hyper mobile.

She had shingles 12 months ago and was poorly for a couple of months after that.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[BertrandRussell]

Where exactly is the pain?

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Just asked her where the pain is exactly and she reckons down both sides of the kneecap and across the upper edge of the kneecap.

She's not normally very active (total geek) so maybe she overdid it with the skiing.

[LifeIsGoodish]

Watching with interest as my 13yo dd has exactly the same pain, except that hers hurts when walking on the level, too. And it's intermittent - hurts badly for a few days, then a few days off, then hurts again. No heat or swelling.

She, too, went skiing recently (half term) but had no problems. She does synchronised swimming, so plenty of knee action there. The pain came on during a lazy kickabout in the garden.

[BertrandRussell]

Ah- it's not Osgood-Schlatters then- the pain is under rather than over the kneecap.

My ds was diagnosed by the GP as having Osgood Schlatters, but he is also having physiotherapy because his posture is very bad and the physiotherapistisn't convinced. She says that he has one flat foot and a very rigid upper back, which has put strain on his knees.

Not sure why I told you that- except that knees are complicated things and physiotherapists can know better than doctors!

[hairypaws]

Ditto the poster mentioning the condition this age group can get, especially sporty kids. My colleague's son had it and I think it's just a case of pain control and growing out of it. It's fairly common.

Oh and growing pains most definitely are not a myth.

[BabyGanoush]

I remember how growing pain feels! A really nagging pain inside my lower legs/ankles.

My DC get it too