DD aged 3 waking up in pain. Can anyone help?

[Muuuuuuum2]

Really weird one. DD(3) woke up around midnight complaining of lots of pain in her right knee. She couldn’t walk on it as it was obvious it was hurting too much. I gave Calpol (which unfortunately finished the bottle) and eventually she went back to sleep. She has just woken up again crying saying her toes are now hurting on the same leg. Not the big toe, just the 4 smaller ones. I have no medicine I can give her but I’ve sat with yet and gently rubbed them for 15 minutes and she’s now trying to get back to sleep.

I’m just a little concerned as to what could be causing this pain. Anyone any ideas?

If it’s only in one leg I would call 111 for advice. Growing pains usually occur on both sides.

When My DD was 2 she would waking up at night screaming with pain in her foot. She would be inconsolable, I would give calpole, rub her foot, nothing would help until she fell asleep.
Gp said it was growing pains and to just give her calpole when it happened. It went on for two year, the panic I felt on the nights it happened.

If it's growing pains it will pass but you should take her to the Gp just to be sure.

Oh my goodness, the nights I’ve spent up with kids with ‘sore legs’!
I had never heard of kids getting this but all 3 of mine were really prone to this. Eldest was the worst from about the age of your little girl. A few nights a week, it was like a cramp.
The NHS website said it was common particularly after a strenuous day, so we used to pre-empt it and give Nurofen at bedtime, which is what the NHS site said to do. If they had been swimming say, or for a big walk, or jumping about with pals all day, they got. Nurofen at bedtime. Seemed to help definitely.

Here.

When my DS had irritable hip aged 4 he only complained of leg pain in one leg. The GP diagnosed him by laying him flat and lifting his leg towards his chest, essentially moving his hip joint, at which point DS flinched. It's more common in boys than girls but if she's had a virus at all lately, including a cold, it's worth checking out. It's not serious but they do need to rule out other conditions if it is the hip.

Trip to the GP. Toddlers can have arthritis.

in the meantime, I'd point out that paracetamol and ibuprofen can be taken in the same day to maximise pain relief and a warm hot water bottle can be very soothing if a cold pack doesn't work.

If I could ban the phrase 'Growing Pains' I would. That was the excuse for every bit of pain I had for years - and there was a lot of it - it's the equivalent of a Fibromyalgia diagnosis for children, as it means no investigation, no treatment, just a shrug of the shoulders and tough luck on the kid.

Could she be dehydrated OP? Ensure she is drinking plenty of water and not just juice

Any swelling or heat? Could be septic arthritis. Friend’s little one had it in a knee and he was in agony

My DS used to get similar every Wednesday night time! (After a busy day at nursery) Dr confirmed it was nothing to worry about, I used to get 'growing pains' too as a DC, not actually anything to do with growing, they are muscle pains after a lot of playing/exercise. I now give him a pre-emptive hot bath + leg rub + nurofen (dr said it was better than calpol as anti-inflammatory) Wednesday bedtime and he doesn't wake up in the night anymore.

Hopefully GP will say its something similarly non serious with your DD.

My DD's pediatric orthopedic surgeon says there is no such thing as growing pain, just pain the goes undiagnosed. He has always advised us that pain that is bad enough to wake a child up during the night needs medical attention. I'd start with your GP but push like crazy for a specialist referral.