When to worry about leg pain and constant pulled muscles?

[Inbedbynine]

Ds is 10. He’s always complaining about leg pain. Not daily but regularly. He also says he has a pulled muscle and always worse after sport/pe despite warming up.

He’s active and Iv worked really hard with him to do extra warm ups when going on the trampoline etc.

Had sports day this week and since then says he’s ‘pulled his hamstring’ and shows me where the pain is running so he is correct in what he is describing but he’s also complaining about the groin area. So on one side he’s shown me where it hurts and I can feel what feels like a thick vein that moves when you touch it and hurts (I don’t know what is there) but on the other leg it doesn’t have it, you can’t feel anything?

This has been going on for a while now but I know they get ‘growing pains’ but when do you start to worry? He’s quite skinny, not a lot of fat on him and is very active.

Doesn’t sound like growing pains to me. They’d just be at night and not along a hamstring.

Have you not been to GP?

I did a while back but they said growing pains...... which leads me to this thread, when can a gp NOT turn around and say it’s ‘just growing pains’?

GP's will ALWAYS blame growing pains at this age because it's the easy explanation.

Does he cool down and stretch out after exercising?

He does now as Iv worked hard at it with him. Obviously I have no control over what happens at school but he knows to do as much as he can when he’s there...

He’s flat footed and wears insoles as fallen arches but had those for years and years. He’s also a little knocked kneed or whatever the expression is so I’m wondering if there is something else going on but I don’t know if any of that is linked.

Sounds like it probably is - just keep pushing the GP. Tell them it's a constant issue and has been for a while now. Don't take 'growing pains' as an answer!

When I read the title my first thought was hypermobility. My DD didn’t get diagnosed til 10 but the signs were there - she was very flexible. She would always complain of leg pain and joint pains after lots of physical exercise. A day on the beach would then mean pains for that evening and the next couple of days. Try putting magnesium salts in his bath as this will help. Also worth trying a gentle massage with either deep heat or bio freeze on the affected muscles. With hypermobility the muscles work harder to keep any joints in place this is why they hurt or ache more

His brother is very hyper mobile, but no pain at all. I guess I should trundle back to gp....

Maybe take him to see a private physio who specalises in hypermobility and a podiatrist as well?

Could the "vein" be a ligament or tendon? Which is either inflamed or something if you can only feel it one side?

I have no idea what it is? You know when you get a knotty shoulder and you can feel it’s nard and the knot is solid but moves when you press on it? Whatever it is on him feels the same but is long and thin hence why I said like a vein but tendon makes more sense or muscle I have no idea? It’s certainly getting worse, the complaining about legs aching etx

You are explaining how my daughter represents with hypermobility syndrome. Does he ever say his joints feel ‘wrong’ or need clicking to feel okay? There is a good website to have a look HMSA for information. There are many different types of hypermobility.

He’s always clicking his neck round but not the rest of them. As I said, my other dc is very hyper mobile, ridiculously so but never has pain. What is the best thing to do, go back to the gp? Realistically what will they do?

My thought was hypermobility too. My ds was diagnosed at 4 and now 13. He had inserts in his shoes too. Since my son hit 10 years old whenever he had had a growth spurt hes been in agony, very similar to what you describe. He has pain very regularly and flares after PE. I've been told that puberty/adolescence will make it so much harder for him and getting his muscles etc strong is key. Hard when every form of exercise causing pain afterwards.
Always worth going back to the GP and ask to be referred to the physios. For me they have been so knowledgeable and will tell if there is anything else going on or even refer to on to further departments if needed. Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks. I always thought he was using it as an excuse not to go to school, which he hates, but he’s moaned all weekend. He hasn’t needed pain killers though. He isn’t flexible like his brother which makes me question if it’s ‘something’ or not?

unexplained pain especially one sided should be investigated.
you could try to see a (private) physio to see where the pain is coming from (muscular/skeletal) that might point the gp into the right direction wrt referral.

ime 'growing pains' is gp speak for 'go away'...

We see a chiropractor and she wasn’t too concerned. Gave him some excercises to do to help his flat feet...

I’ll try gp again and will be cross if they say growing pains again as I don’t believe it is!

a chiropractor doesn't have the training a physio does.
physios are real specialists and are trained to (safely) look for physical issues and to treat.