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Intermittent knee, ankle, shin pain in DD11.

6 replies

Slavica · 12/09/2019 18:15

My DD is 11 and does figure skating 4-5 times a week normally. She has always been a very active kid, always on the run.

In the last six months, she first complained about a sudden right knee pain, which started when running at school. There was no redness or swelling, but she couldn't do much and of course could not skate for some time. Since then, she's had pains in both knees, just one or the other, in her shins, and lately in her right ankle. The pain is not associated with any redness or swelling, the limbs look completely normal. No pain at night, but the pain is worse with use of the legs.

She hasn't skated in more than two weeks now and skated much less even before (took 6 weeks off over the summer, too). She doesn't run at PE (as she cannot do it without ankle pain). We went to her pediatrician - usual in this country - who saw her walking and said she needs inserts because of pronation and ankle rolling in. She's had inserts in her skates for a very long time, and never had these pains until about six months ago. The skate inserts were done professionally and she has new inserts for every pair of skates (no new skates recently, either). Anyway, we will get her fitted for shoe inserts tomorrow and hope that solves it.

I feel sad for her. She's always been such a dynamo and now she can't do what comes naturally to her, not even run at recess with her friends. I insisted that blood be drawn, everything is normal (though her white blood cells are a bit high-normal). She has no fever or other symptoms, some tiredness but that's quite normal with her dust allergies and increased school workload.

I am a bit worried. She's never been bendy; yes, her feet are flat, but they've always been flat, and she's skated since she was five. Why these new symptoms now?

I read a lot of threads about flat feel, hypermobility syndrome, and random pains on here. Would anyone have words of wisdom for us?
She has started puberty, but still grows at the rate of 5-6 cm a year, the growth spurt has not happened yet in her case.

OP posts:
ellzebellze · 12/09/2019 18:24

Look up Osgood-Schlatters disease, and see if any of those symptoms fit.

BabyST · 12/09/2019 18:25

Have a look at www.shb.scot.nhs.uk/departments/physiotherapy/APCP-OsgoodSchlatters.pdf

Sounds like OSD

Slavica · 12/09/2019 19:26

Thank you both! That was my thought, too, but she doesn't have a knee bump, nor is the knee the only joint affected. Right now, her knees are completely fine, the pain is all in her right ankle.

OP posts:
YouAreTheEggManIAmTheWalrus · 12/09/2019 19:32

My DS was v sporty, had Osgood Schlatters and he often suffered with his ankles too. Turned out he was also flat footed and it caused all sorts of ankle/knee/hamstring issues. Ask to be referred to a physio maybe?

ellzebellze · 12/09/2019 19:42

Ask her skating coach if they can recommend a specialist sports/dance physiotherapist. An ordinary paediatrician won't understand the technicalities of her skate training or the specific strains it puts on her body.

Slavica · 13/09/2019 07:35

Thank you for the physio suggestion, YouAreTheEggman and ellzebellze! In fact, I got a name of a good sports physio, but I have yet to secure a referral - this I will get after the shoe inserts.

The coach was saying it's "growing pains" and it happens to a subset of girls. But this latest bout of ankle pain, where she could not walk for a few days and still cannot run, no longer sounds compatible with that.

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