Terrible leg cramps at night in a 4 year old. Advice please

[Helinher30s]

Hi, my DS 4 has terrible leg/foot cramps about once a week which wakes him and he cries in pain. This has been going on for a few months and always after he has been asleep for an hour or so. I usually rub/massage the area and apply hot flannels etc. Not sure really what to do to help the pain but in a few minutes he's fine again. Last night's cramp was the worst he had ever had and he was in real pain for about 15 mins leaving me wondering if a trip to A&E was necessary and then it obviously released and he was as right as rain in minutes, running around, laughing etc. My questions are should I take him to the doctors straight away about this or will he just say leg cramps nothing can be done? he's currently recovering from having his tonsils out so reluctant to take him to a doctors surgery full of germs at the mo unless necessary. Are leg cramps common in growing children? Could he be deficient in something - he's not a great eater or could there be an underlying serious condition which I'm missing. Any advice appreciated thanks.

I read this article the other day, it might help? www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/12/what-are-growing-pains

Thank you betterBit - makes interesting reading - will def take him to docs in a few weeks when he has recovered to rule out the other things.

amoxycillin and penicillins can cause joint pains as a rarer side effect. Has he been on one of these recently

I had to get up with dd1 (5.11) this morning and rub her feet , she also gets leg pains, dd1 has a bit of a cold at the moment so i thought it might be linked to her being unwell.

Can be Mg and/or Zn deficiency, especially if the balance of Ca/Mg is skewed too far towards Ca (esp because cows dairy have high calcium but not enough Mg).
My ds had these and he was eventually found to be gluten intolerant and malabsorbing a lot of nutrients, esp Zn and Mg (plus other vits). Our case was perhaps extreme, but try Mg supplement or even bath salts (in the bath obviously), Mg is muscle relaxant generally.

He's been on cefalexin antibiotic for months due to never ending tonsillitis so maybe a side effect of the antibiotic. He is also milk protein intolerant and on soya possible gluten intolerant too but we have never managed to get a blood test to confirm - they have tried 6 times and failed... The mg supplement could be interesting, will look to see if they do a childrens one. thanks

is he allergic to penicillin....just interested as cefalexin is not normally first line treatment

cefalexin doesnt cause joint problems like the penicillins can

Yes he's allergic to it - due to the artificial sweeteners in it which the cefalexin doesnt have

my ds had a spate of leg ache when he was 4 (nearly 5) touch wood nothing recently.

He would wake and cry for ages, I would rub his legs and give 2 x spoons of calpol to relieve the pain.

Its really horrible to see them cry in so much pain isnt it.

I noticed that it happened after a long day out or when we had done lots of activity that day/week

Ds2 suffered really bad foot and leg cramps for about a year when he was in reception year (so around 4-5 yrs old).

He used to get them in bed, when sitting to the table with his legs dangling and in his car seat (again legs dangling unsupported).

I read somewhere that it can be down to dehydration and vit/mineral deficiencies, so we upped his fluid intake and made sure he had his vitamin syrup every day without fail. (I guess upping the fluids helps the blood circulate more easily so preventing the cramps caused when his feet were dangling and the blood pooled in his lower limbs.)

Apparently, the other thing that can cause it is incorrect foot anatomy (eg fallen arches/flat feet) so it might be worth getting that checked out.

Some doctors recommend doing calf stretches a couple of times a day to stave off cramp attacks and this has been quite successful for some children. It also helps to reduce the length and severity of a leg cramp attack if rather than rubbing the affected area, you get them to force their foot against a hard surface (such as the floor) and really stretch out their calf muscle a few times.

My ds will be 6 in April and I can't remember the last time he had cramp, so either the fluid and vits worked or he's grown out of them.

hth

Interesting addendum though is that my ds had several courses of cefalexin for chalazion (eyelid infections) during the year he suffered from cramps. Might be coincidence, but I just realised your ds has also been on cefalexin recently as well. Maybe its a rare or undocumented side effect?

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I will see how he gets on - no cramp last night and sometimes he goes weeks without an episode. Maybe there is the link with the cefalexin - now the tonsils are out hopefully his antibiotic days are over...