5 year old DD complaing of painful foot for no apparent reason?

[bobkate]

I'm a bit flummoxed. She's not bashed it at all. She's hobbling around and doesn't seem to able to bear much weight on it without crying in pain. Only been since waking this morning.
The docs are notoriously hard for getting an appointment ( aren't most of them! ) but I'm really not sure if I should leave it/ call NHS direct or really push for an appt if I can at the docs.
Is there anyone out there who has experienced anything similar? I have come across painful hips linked to a virus after searching, but she's saying it's the top of her foot that hurts not anywhere near her hips?
in every way!

Young child who can't bear weight on her leg/foot is a straight to A&E job imo. Don't leave it. It's probably nothing but worst case scenario is a serious infection. Do not muck around with this. Get her seen today.

Sorry - just to add - I know she says it's the top of her foot but young children aren't always very good at explaining where something hurts. Go on what you can see - which is she crys in pain when putting weight on it.

Oh bum - really. Waaah...our car is in the garage...hopefully ready in an hour or so. Thanks for giving me a kick up the bum. Will be back later with an update. cheers

Sorry about the car. Look - you'll probably get her seen and it's nothing but I've got a 5yr old and I wouldn't risk it. When you take her in specifically ask them to exclude infection as a cause.

Yep - thanks again. Just waiting for DH to come back so we can go and get the car.

she might have twisted her knee or hip

Waiting at a & e. Temp and heart rate, etc all fine.

That's good. Hope you're home soon and she's bouncing off the walls

Home now, she stopped hobbling once there, then started again once we'd been sent away with a 'can't find anything wrong'. Got to car to find parking ticket on window. I'd put a ticket in but didn't notice it had flipped over as I shut the door. Boo hissy all round. So no nearer to knowing what the hobble is all about.

Could she have an infection between/under her toes ? Sometimes its hard to see inside the little creases, verruca ? Athletes foot ? Does she swim, or maybe even a splinter she picked.
Youll have to sit her down and go over her foot carefully pressing until you can maybe pinpoint the right spot.

Can I ask who you saw? And were XRs taken? Did you get a follow up appt in case it doesn't settle down?

Sorry that sounded more pushy than I meant. I have some experience in this area and know what my management plan is in cases like this.

Send the car park ticket off with an explanation, the parking company should waive the fine (sorry, can't help with the foot, but as someone who once had an undiagnosed bone infection, it was worth getting it checked out).

We had this with Dd1 when she was about 4 - refused to walk on foot, hobbled around (even when she didn't know we were watching, so not for show), said painful. We went to OOH Doc (Sunday) and she had the whole place in fits as she put on an oscar winning hobbling performance .

Doc found nothing physically wrong and by the next day she was fine. All very odd, but hopefully you will have a similar result

SOrry about the ticket - that is a PITA, but you may have some luck in writing to the car park people with evidence that you did have a ticket which covered the period you were ticketed for. I managed to get one cleared from a station car park which had fallen down off the screen.

Thanks for the much needed sympathy I'm going to write a long letter about the ticket, complete with a print out of the fact that it's the windiest day e v e r, probably why it blew over.
Hey ho.
nokissy I have prodded and poked thoroughly, but admittedly not looked in between her toes. I'll do that tonight with a torch whilst she's asleep. She hates me even going near them to cut them!
procrastinator I was seen by the triage nurse who took her temp, stuck the monitor on her finger and asked for a wee sample. Asked a few questions about if she was eating, had a cold, etc, etc. Said her temp, etc was all normal.
Then after a little wait ( and it really was only a little wait for which I'm grateful! ) the doc came in. Asked if she had any pains in her hips, knees ( nope ), then had a wiggle of both her feet, her knees and asked her to walk up and down a bit. Which she did with barely a wobble . He said he was going off to chat with his colleague.
Came back and said he didn't really want to xr her as he'd felt her joints and they didn't 'seem to be infected' ( not word for word, but that was the jist I'm sure) and as her hips and knees aren't causing her pain he said to give it 3 or so days, and see what happens over that time.
Said that if, in between then, I'm concerned again to come back and not feel silly ( I had said I felt like we'd wasted their time a little as she appeared, I'm sure to them, to not have any problem whatsoever
As we were walking back to the car, I was trying a bit of the 'come along, they've said nothing's wrong' chivvying but she was hobbling away again.
Was that the sort of info you were after....I do have a slight rather large tendancy to waffle

sizzle - It's a bit odd isn't it. My DD is the same, I know it's not been for show as she's been doing it when not aware I was watching. I'm hoping tomorrow brings a miraculous disappearance of the hobble, but it's one of those things you wish you could just get an answer for as it's just a bit odd!

Sounds like she has not broke anything though. I would give it 3 days and see how she goes. Kid are great for either making something a massive deal in A and E or getting better quite quickly.

I took my DS up to the A and E I work in to see out of hours GP as he was really poorly very high temps, lethargic blah blah. Got up there and he started smiling and chatting away as if nothing was wrong with him! Soon as we got in the car he was back to his lifeless self I felt a right prat and I worked there

It is odd but it sounds like she's been throughly checked out. It really is better safe than very sorry with that symptom. Hope you get the ticket sorted.

Thanks northern - yep, odd but I do feel happier knowing she's been seen and checked over.
Just googling letters to send to parking company!

Sorry got caught up and forgot to come back! That sounds reasonable. If she does continue to limp definitely take her back though. There are (rare) causes of a limp in a child that need sorting so don't feel like you can't go back. I'd rather see a hundred children who are just limping for no reason than miss a single case of one if these. I get referred these cases all the time and have no problem accepting them. 99% of the time it's nothing but I'd rather spend 10 mins of my time making sure - plus I get to see cute kids which makes a pleasant change to my day!

I appreciate you coming back and telling me that procrastinator I'll certainly be keeping an eye on her! Thanks

My DD had hand foot + mouth last year, she could hardly walk with the painful spots on the soles of her feet. It took a few days for the spots to come out, before that it was not wanting to eat/drink and hobbling around! Just to give you something else to consider! But HFM is mild and harmless for most kids.

Just a quick report back ( and by the way thanks butterfingerz I'll keep an eye out for any spots that appear! ) but the hobble has miraculously vanished! So it seems she was just like sizzlesazz's DD...all very peculiar but delighted the hobble is no more! .