Though leg aches and pains are a common childhood problem that usually fades quickly, some children have persistent problems into their teens, according to a new study.
Researchers in Finland found that among a group of 10- to 12-year-olds with lower-limb pain, nearly one-third still had the problem one year later, and a similar percentage had recurrent bouts of pain four years on.
Children whose pain stemmed from a physical injury, such as a broken bone, had a better prognosis than those with pain that could not be traced to a single trauma -- being less likely to complain of recurrent pain four years later.
In addition, a child's activity level helped predict his odds of chronic pain. Children who were highly active -- exercising five or more times a week -- were more than twice as likely as sedentary children to still have lower-limb pain one year into the study.
Also at risk for long-term problems were children with extremely flexible, or "hypermobile," joints. These children -- who accounted for 8 percent of those with leg pain at the start of the study -- were three times more likely than kids with less flexible joints to have recurrent bouts of pain, according to findings published in the journal Pediatrics.
Lower-limb pain is one of the most common problems of childhood, and it may become more prevalent as a growing number of kids become involved in sports, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Ashraf El-Metwally of the University of Tampere.
Traditionally, it's been assumed that common childhood leg pain will resolve naturally, over a relatively short period of time.
But the new findings, along with some other recent studies, suggest that this is not always the case, according to El-Metwally and his colleagues.
More.... http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_26816.html
Researchers in Finland found that among a group of 10- to 12-year-olds with lower-limb pain, nearly one-third still had the problem one year later, and a similar percentage had recurrent bouts of pain four years on.
Children whose pain stemmed from a physical injury, such as a broken bone, had a better prognosis than those with pain that could not be traced to a single trauma -- being less likely to complain of recurrent pain four years later.
In addition, a child's activity level helped predict his odds of chronic pain. Children who were highly active -- exercising five or more times a week -- were more than twice as likely as sedentary children to still have lower-limb pain one year into the study.
Also at risk for long-term problems were children with extremely flexible, or "hypermobile," joints. These children -- who accounted for 8 percent of those with leg pain at the start of the study -- were three times more likely than kids with less flexible joints to have recurrent bouts of pain, according to findings published in the journal Pediatrics.
Lower-limb pain is one of the most common problems of childhood, and it may become more prevalent as a growing number of kids become involved in sports, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Ashraf El-Metwally of the University of Tampere.
Traditionally, it's been assumed that common childhood leg pain will resolve naturally, over a relatively short period of time.
But the new findings, along with some other recent studies, suggest that this is not always the case, according to El-Metwally and his colleagues.
More.... http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_26816.html