bone doctor ??

[fac]

I know this type of question is for my daughter's pediatrician, but I didn't get the answer in the past and I have luck in this forum, hence I am going to give it a try again...

When my DD 14 was a toddler, she sometimes cried at night and said the leg hurt, we didn't have a clue what it was and asking the pediatrician didn't help either... fast forward 9 years later, we found out that it was because she has "flat feet" I am not sure whether it was the right description, but then we got her a podiatrist and she got a pair of inserts and it became better and she seldom cried at night...There were a few occasions that she said her leg hurt after running (track) during the day..hence we knew that she shouldn't be on track team

She has been in the swim team for four years and this year she added soccer and she began to complain that her ankle acting strangely and that one side of her bones from arm to feet is not 'acting" the same as the other side...She is about to give up soccer, but I think I should get a doctor to find out the underlying problem, may be someone who can take an x-ray of her whole body to see whether both sides grow the same etc.. (am I crazy?) What kind of doctor does she need? an orthopedic ?

I think I need to know something before going to see her pediatrician....

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Orthopedic doctor.

Saw one when I broke my ankle.

 

[robinb]

I would ask to see an pediatric orthopedist. A normal 14-year old should not have pain like that. Now that I think of it, it might also be a spinal problem and an orthopedist will be able to diagnose that too. ETA: my swimmer girl saw one for back pain 3 years ago.

Good luck!

 

[a742246]

Shoes (sneakers) make all the difference in the world. I would see the doctor
but I would investigate shoes and inserts.
I played alot of sports and had ankle operations etc. Whenever I hurt my ankles it was not uncommon for me to have pain in my arms. Nerves are funny and you never know what and where things gets affected.

 

[crisi]

Ask your pediatrician - it depends on what the problem is. If its arthritis (and yes, kids get it), then an orthopedist won't do any good and will be a waste of a visit. If you aren't happy with her pediatrician - switch doctors.

 

[smokeyblue]

I would go to a board certified sports medicine doctor. We have a sports med guy here who is top notch! He is no-nonsense and his goal is always to get you back in the game. I am by no means an athlete, but the first injury I had was when I was going to the gym a lot. He worked closely with the physical therapist and they nailed the source of my pain and and took care of it head on. I've gone to him on and off since for various aches and pains and he always knows what to do. I think this sort of doctor would be a good choice for a young athlete.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd11 has Severs (brought her to a sports medicine doctor to confirm, even though doctor google already had...), and it's common in adolescents who play sports, and more common ifbthe child has lat feet, or high arches (all of my kids have high arches.

 

[disney1990]

I know this type of question is for my daughter's pediatrician, but I didn't get the answer in the past and I have luck in this forum, hence I am going to give it a try again...

When my DD 14 was a toddler, she sometimes cried at night and said the leg hurt, we didn't have a clue what it was and asking the pediatrician didn't help either... fast forward 9 years later, we found out that it was because she has "flat feet" I am not sure whether it was the right description, but then we got her a podiatrist and she got a pair of inserts and it became better and she seldom cried at night...There were a few occasions that she said her leg hurt after running (track) during the day..hence we knew that she shouldn't be on track team

She has been in the swim team for four years and this year she added soccer and she began to complain that her ankle acting strangely and that one side of her bones from arm to feet is not 'acting" the same as the other side...She is about to give up soccer, but I think I should get a doctor to find out the underlying problem, may be someone who can take an x-ray of her whole body to see whether both sides grow the same etc.. (am I crazy?) What kind of doctor does she need? an orthopedic ?

I think I need to know something before going to see her pediatrician....

You would not want to expose your daughter to the radiation necessary to xray her entire body. As others have said, see sports medicine doctor.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I work in xray and spent 7 years in pediatric xray. (Yes with ped radiologists too.). Does she feel like one leg could be slightly longer than the other? If so there is an xray exam called a Leg Length Discrepancy where we have the pt lay on the table with a lead-marked yard stick/ruler taped securely to the table with one end under her butt and other between her feet. Then we shoot 3 x rays without her or the ruler moving at all: one of both hips, one of both knees and one of both ankles. This allows the radiologist to measure each long bone precisely. I'm not saying this is what she might have but just to say there are tests a dr could order to check. I've been in mammography for 15 yrs now so there may be more modern methods than the LLD.
I would 2nd the pp vote to see a ped ortho. Whether it's arthritiis or whatever, unless you'd have to pay oop, it's worth a $30 copay to get it checked.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

You would not want to expose your daughter to the radiation necessary to xray her entire body. As others have said, see sports medicine doctor.

They wouldn't simply xray her entire body. They would consider her current complaint, past history and use info from an xray to rule out something and help them narrow it down.
The only time we xray an entire body is occasional post mortem or a skeletal survey to r/o child abuse.
We don't just give radiation out like Halloween candy and even with the LLD we can still place a small shield (roughly 3 x 5") over her pelvis and a larger apron over her upper torso.

 

[ellochka]

I would second the recommendation of going to the orthopedic surgeon. I was lucky to get to one quickly when my ankle hurt, and it turned out to be stress fracture - I did not have to even get the boot because I caught it early.

Just for the record - since toddlerhood I was told that I had flat feet. My footprint looks like a triangle (I have extra-wide feet and a narrow heel). Turns out, I don't really have flat feet. Based on x-ray, my arches are absolutely fine. I just have an extra-thick muscle underneath (and need shoes with no arch support).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

FWIW, sports medicine docs are first orthopedic docs. They do additional training for sports-related injuries. If you think it's strictly sports-related, a sports med doc would be great but if you think it's something developmental (like scoliosis, LLD) then see a pediatric ortho. JMHO.
All of our ortho docs subspecialize: feet/ankle, spine, hips/knees, shoulder/elbow, pediatric, sports med, etc. I would think it's like that at most larger teaching hospitals.

 

[imsayin]

DD has scoliosis. It caused her a lot of knee problems in high school (she was a swimmer). She had a great physical therapist that helped her. If the back is off, the rest of the body compensates in ways that can cause pain/problems. Good luck - it's not always easy finding the root of the problem.

 

[disney1990]

They wouldn't simply xray her entire body. They would consider her current complaint, past history and use info from an xray to rule out something and help them narrow it down.
The only time we xray an entire body is occasional post mortem or a skeletal survey to r/o child abuse.
We don't just give radiation out like Halloween candy and even with the LLD we can still place a small shield (roughly 3 x 5") over her pelvis and a larger apron over her upper torso.

I absolutely know that. I was responding to what the OP said.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Ask your pediatrician - it depends on what the problem is. If its arthritis (and yes, kids get it), then an orthopedist won't do any good and will be a waste of a visit. If you aren't happy with her pediatrician - switch doctors.

Considering how "useful" the Pediatrician has been so far, I think step one might be "find a new primary care physician"

 

[princess barbara]

I would definitely seek out a board certified sports medicine doc. The one my daughter goes to for both ankle problems has been a God send. The doctor is a marathon runner, he has a blood lab as well as ultrasound and x-ray machines right at his practice and he understands athletes. Good luck with your DD.

 

[Lori77]

My DS 9 has the same thing since being a toddler. He still has foot cramps periodically.

Our doctor said poor shoes, vitamin deficiencies, and lack of hydration are usual causes of cramping and pain in limbs. Our doctor said that as long as they are less than weekly and not the same foot or leg, then he is not worried.

We now make sure that we buy the right shoes, takes vitamins regularly, and he hydrates before soccer. I will say that since we've changed those things, they have lessened. My son is very active, and so after 8-10 hours of walking/running/playing, his feet usually do hurt! Just like mine would! lol!

If you are concerned, skip the regular doctor and go to a specialist!

 

[bridget]

I also second an orthopedic dr. that specializes in sports medicine. My daughter is a dancer and also plays volleyball and basketball on school teams. She fractured her foot last year, and the dr. was amazing. In fact, our pediatrician, immediately sent us to him when he saw her foot.

She got the best care to help heal her foot, and then he made sure that once the cast and boot were off, she didn't re-injure her foot. It has been one year, and she hasn't complained once

I also second how important shoes and vitamins are. She can only wear certain types of shoes when she runs and plays sports. He also has her taking additional vitamins. It is just because she plays sports/dances up to 4-5 hours a day!

 

[3boymthr]

A relative has a condition that causes pain in the legs and hips and had a similar complaint as a child of they "don't act the same" but the problem turned out to not be the the bones but the connective tissue between the bones so if a ortho dr doesn't find a problem make sure to have the connective tissues checked as well.

 

[AndreaDM]

My 11 DD started complaining about foot pain a few years ago, around the time she started dance class. It would come and go so we kind of blew it off to growing pains but finally got it checked out. Not only does she have flat feet, she has an extra bone in each foot call an accessory navicular. She got custom inserts, but there's a chance she will have surgery at some point to remove them if they keep bothering her. Just something you might want to keep in mind! It's not all that uncommon, but most people's are so small they never bother them, but DD's are very visible, I can't believe we didn't notice it before!