Any natural type treatments for kids arthritis?

[riu girl]

I am taking DD9 in for an arthritis full assessment (whatever that is?) next Friday. For the last couple of years she has been complaining about pain (in all of her joints). About 6 months ago I offhandly mentioned it to the dr. and she said it sounds like arthritis and to make an appt. for an assessment. Things have really escalated the last couple of months so I finally called the doctor.

DD9 is about 56 inches tall and approx. 85 pounds. Looking at her, you would think she is a very healthy kid. She swims, plays soccor and basically lives in the ditches around our property catching frogs and snakes.

Perodically we see a naturopath for DD (for ADHD/anxiety) but have never mentioned this to her. But it is at the point where the poor kid is pain-ridden. She is constantly twisting her body/joints all around (ex. trying to crack her fingers, toes, back, neck etc) trying to get rid of the pain and she looks so uncomfortable all the time. This week she was so upset because she said her knees hurt so bad. I realize now that I should have dealt with this months ago but just afraid to find out the truth I guess.


Has anyone ever went through anything like this with their child and took them to a naturopath? If so, what were the recommendations? DD seems ok when she is active (which is a lot) but as soon as she sits or lies down the pain sets in . It is hard seeing her face contort form the pain. She is in terrible shape and I feel so bad for her. I should have done something earlier, but I was just hoping it was growing pains or something, but obviously there is much more then that going on. Due to ADHD, at first I thought maybe she was totally exaggerating (or I guess I hoped she was) she is is always trying to be the centre of attention but I now know that there is simply no way you could make all this up.

Any advice on therapy or nature type treatments would be really appreciated.
Thank you

 

[minkydog]

My DD went through a similar experience a few years ago. We went through the whole arthritis workup, too. thankfully she didn't have rheumatoid arthritis, but she certainly had a lot of pain. The only thing that worked for her was anti-inflammatories to reduce the swelling and inflammation. the doctor surmised that she had some kind of virus and they estimated that it would last about 9 months. Which it did.

She will still get some achiness when it's cold or wet, so I'm sure there is some arthritis there of some kind. If it's her hands, she likes to dip them in parrafin for relief. Her shoulders? gentle massage and heat. Knees or back? heating pad. But above all, it's Motrin and Advil to thank for her relief.

I know, not exactly what you wanted to hear

 

[vhoffman]

I'm so sorry about your daughter and hope it isn't rheumatoid arthritis (which I have). I really don't have any advice to give other than NOT to treat the pain with Tylenol, or at least only ocassionally. It can really damage the kidneys and liver, especially for a young person. Try Ibuprofern instead.

However, just to give you some peace of mind while awaiting the test results, etc., it doesn't actually sound like RA to me. The classic symptoms of RA are extreme pain and stiffness upon awakening in the morning. Before my symptoms were under control I would wake up in so much pain I couldn't get the covers off me and get out of bed without help. This is typical of RA, its called "gel time", it can take from 30-90 minutes for someone with RA to be able to function upon awakening. Notice I said pain with stiffness, not just stiffness upon awakening. I had such a hard time making anyone understand my symptoms, I was told "everyone is a little stiff when they first wake up". Well, its not normal to wake up in extreme agony! The typical RA patient can get better during the day so by the time she gets to the doctor the symptoms have disappeared, making her look like a hypochondriac or attention-seeker. It wasn't until I developed some actual joint damage that showed up on x-rays that I was taken seriously. However, getting back to your situation, it doesn't sound like RA to me, because you don't mention morning pain. Good luck to you!

Also, people with RA couldn't "crack" their joints to relieve pain. The swelling is tremendous and you simply couldn't "crack" the joints. I used to say it felt like water balooons were tied around my knees.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

Also, people with RA couldn't "crack" their joints to relieve pain. The swelling is tremendous and you simply couldn't "crack" the joints. I used to say it felt like water balooons were tied around my knees.

I agree with this. I have RA too and the very idea of cracking my joints makes me cringe. I always say it feels like I have tightly wrapped ace bandages around my knees.

RA is also usually bilateral (on both sides) with swelling. I really hope she doesn't have it but you should definitely have her checked. The sooner she can start treament the sooner she can get on medication to slow the joint damage. I don't know much about homeopathic treatments. I've tried a few things like fish oil and vitamins. They didn't help. They only things that have helped me are immunosupressants and steriods. With RA it's very important that proper treatment start early in the disease so I wouldn't hesitate.

Good luck!!

 

[bavaria]

With RA it's very important that proper treatment start early in the disease so I wouldn't hesitate.

This is especially important with JRA to avoid any deformities...

If she is indeed diagnosed, you could use non-medicinal treatments such as heat etc to supplement drugs, but medication is required as a treatment if it is JRA. It may take some time to find the 'right' medication and dosage, FYI.

The good news is that a percentage of those with JRA outgrow it; others have a long remission period before it appears as an adult, and often a milder version.

Best thoughts...