Child finds sitting still impossible/painful

[irishmurdoch]

My 10 yo DD is regularly told off for not sitting properly in class. She says she doesn't realise she's doing it but she pulls her legs up under her and kneels on her chair because otherwise her legs hurt or 'feel funny'.

I'm not sure if this is a physical or a mental thing, and I did wonder if it was something like restless leg syndrome (if kids can get that?) But then, she's very physically active at home, always dancing around the bathroom or doing handstands in the living room, so sitting has never been her default mode - it could just be who she is, rather than a medical problem? She's mostly upset that she can't control it, and hates getting told off. Anybody dealing with a similar issue?

I was always sitting on my feet (still do), it can be a sign of hyper mobility or POTS, depending on other markers.
Is she super bendy, can she bend her wrists, fingers, knees, elbows, back further than most people? She might be hypermobile, sitting on her feet might keep her hips more stable and stop them dislocating.
OTOH if she gets dizzy or a fast heartbeat from standing quickly, she might have postural tachycardia syndrome(POTS) and keeping feet tucked up will help stabilise blood pressure so more blood goes to the heart and brain and less pools in the legs.

I don't think she's hypermobile, but going by your description, I think i might have POTS, so that's definitely worth looking into...Thanks so much for these pointers!