AIBU to think sudden joint pain and clicking during puberty isn’t normal?

[DelilahEATS]

I have an older son and this didn’t happen so am very worried
6 months of 12 year old DS complaining of joints being sore / locking out of place
Starting with ankles followed by wrists and lately the back

Constant clicking noises which are unbearable to listen to as he manipulates the joints back into place

GP unconcerned but blood tests and MRI showed nothing

I had this at a similar age, hormones have an impact t on the joints apparently.

A private physio appointment is fairly cheap but will probably be very helpful.

Ask GP to refer you to physio but if it is a long referral time a nearby private physio may see him.

My ds is just turned 13 and he's just the same. His joints crack all the time: no creeping silently around the house here!

He has grown so tall in recent months, i assumed it was a mixture of that and hormones??

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and my symptoms started in puberty. Is he hypermobile?

This sounds a bit like my DD, she was clicky, hips knees lose joints everywhere,she's 23 now and was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers danloss syndrome. She does a lot of physio now ,which helps. It might be worth looking into that .

Sounds like hypermobility. Ask for a physio referral.

2 private physios have seen him
Neither convinced hypermobile although one mentioned some hypermobility in certain joints but not enough so sent me back to the GP

Honestly I’m on a merry go round with it

I’ve read a lot about Ehlers syndrome but how it is diagnosed as again GP very dismissive when I raised this

GP said all Ehlers she’s ever seen has presented before the age of 2?

My two teen boys both have this
i assume hormones and fast growing

Greenleavesrustling,
are they in pain?

Not constantly , but faster growing boy has been saying his knees hurt on and off for about 12 months. No redness or swelling and he is still able to do all his sports.
the other says he has back pain sometimes. Again, still good with sports. Each has grown about 6 inches in the past year, they are 13

Can’t help but I’m still clicky and have painful joints at 32, no medical reason found so far!

It’s more the feeling of the joints coming out that concerns me although I don’t think they actually are but they feel like it to him

It was absolutely the case for me

My younger brother went through this when he grew from 5'1" at 13 to 6'4" at 15. Very clicky, quite achy and sore, felt like dislocations although they weren't actually dislocating, just "loose". He's extremely flexible now as an adult, but thankfully all the clicking and aching stopped once the growth spurt slowed down a bit.

My daughter went through similar but not as extreme, again while she was growth spurting from a tiny mite to 5'9". 15 and she's still going, damn lanky giants in my family.

Is he quite tall, or predicted to be?

DS had these symptoms but it was Osgood -schlatters. He grew out of it.

My daughter is 22. Ehlers Danlos syndrome diagnosed aged 16.

Joints don't have to dislocate - they can have subluxation which has the feeling of dislocation.

What other problems or symptoms , does he have, OP?

My EDS was diagnosed by a rheumatologist when I was 40 after being fobbed off with physio for years. It was actually a chiropractor who flagged it.

Not always diagnosed

I was 53 before I got a proper EDS diagnosis

I had clicky joints, particularly ankles, and was really dizzy, had to take precautions getting out of bed up from chairs etc. about that age. Luckily no ongoing issues into adulthood. Doctors at the time said it was due to rapid growth. Hope it is something like that. However always worth checking I would imagine.

I was in my late teens when first had my hypermobility diagnosed after joint pain and clicking, may not be they at all but maybe worth exploring.

Sounds like you may have had PoTS, @Lozza70

Did you ever delve into it in more detail?

Oh what is PoTS? You can tell I never looked into it in any more depth!

He has mentioned being dizzy from time to time but nothing where he has ever actually fainted
Again GP not concerned
Visual stress which optician mentioned as one eye not focussing centrally at certain points and excessive blinking - related that to his ADHD where he is over focussing in school
I feel fobbed off the entire time TBH
Ive gone private for mostly everything as the waiting time was 9 months to see a physio

I need to get him help but I don’t know to help him so feel really worried

PoTS is Postural Tachycardia syndrome.

Where the body can't regulate its heartbeat, especially on change of position such as standing up.

Can include palpitations, fainting or feeling faint, chronic fatigue and visual disturbances.

Very often associated with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/