Common causes of joint pain in children

Posted by Doctor Do Thi Thao - Pediatric Center - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital

Joint pain is a common symptom in young children, especially children at the age of strong growth, but there are many hidden causes behind this joint pain symptom. Here are some common causes in young children.

1. Osteoarthritis pain develops

Developmental joint pain is a common symptom in young children, about 15% of school-age children. These are not serious symptoms, are not harmful to the child and usually go away when the child enters the period of rapid growth. The reason is that the bones of this age grow rapidly and strongly, leading to symptoms of osteoarthritis pain for children.
Osteoarthritis pain develops, often pain in the thigh, knee joint, sometimes pain in the hand. Characteristic of developing bone pain: usually in the evening, the child usually has no pain the next morning, can be continuous or intermittent, often bilateral, no joint swelling, no limitation of movement.

Trẻ đau khớp — Trẻ xuất hiện đau khớp tại vị trí vùng đùi

Usually no treatment is needed for bone pain that develops, however, some children grow rapidly, leading to increased calcium and vitamin D requirements during this period, so the doctor will probably evaluate the clinical and laboratory, If the child lacks calcium, calcium and vitamin D will be added. In case the child has a lot of pain, making it difficult to sleep, they can take pain reliever paracetamol or ibuprofen in times of severe pain.
To reduce pain, parents can give the child a warm bath, keep the child warm, give the child age-appropriate exercise, and massage the child.

2. Other causes

Sometimes joint pain is a symptom of some dangerous diseases such as:
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: often multiple joints, progressing for > 6 weeks, with joint swelling and limited range of motion, sometimes The child may have a fever. This is one of the dangerous chronic diseases, which should be detected early and treated promptly for children. Lupus: This is an autoimmune disease, common in older children, more girls than boys. In addition to swollen joints, children may have fever, butterfly-shaped rash on the face, hair loss... Lyme disease: This is an infection caused by a tick bite. Children often have fever, rash, joint pain, facial paralysis... Acute leukemia: This is one of the blood malignancies. Children may initially present with joint pain. Later on, children may have symptoms such as anemia, pale mucous membranes, easy bleeding, bruising, hematoma under the skin, prolonged fever, swollen lymph nodes...

Bầm tím dưới da biểu hiện bệnh bạch cầu cấp có thể là nguyên nhân gây đau khớp

All of the above diseases are rare but very dangerous and need to be detected early and treated promptly. If parents find that there are abnormalities in their child's joints, they should take the child to a medical facility for examination and treatment. To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact the nationwide Vinmec Health System Hotline, or register online HERE.