Sever Left Leg Pain

It sounds like growing pains. When my guy was the same age as yours it was leg massages at 2am regularly. My pediatrician says that children grow at night, while their bodies are horizontal. You could also give children's motrin, but the leg massages would usually put him back to sleep. As for the leg giving out, that sounds like a coincidence. If you are truly worried. I would call the Dr's office and ask for an emergency appointment or take him to the ER or Immedicenter.
S.

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Please tell her to take him to get x-rays to make sure it's not Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease it's common in boys more so then girls but it's not very well know my husband has it and suffers from it due to it was caught so late, here is a web page so you can check it out it may not be the issues but it never huts to check it out just to be safe.

http://www.nonf.org/perthesbrochure/perthes-brochure.htm

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Appointment in June?? Is there another doctor he can go to? Did she say it was an emergency and that it gave out on him?

My sciatic nerve has been bothering me and is everything you describe...can kids get that?

Try to push to get him in sooner.

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If ER did not take an x-ray I would try to get in to the doctor sooner. Toddlers this age have flexible bones which can crack but still feel OK. Actually even if they took an x-ray, I'd still try to get in sooner. Often a crack in the bone is not seen by the ER physician but can be spotted by an orthopedic physician.

I am puzzled that the pain and inability to bear weight comes and goes. Usually there is sufficient discomfort that the child appears consistently to be in pain or not able to bare weight tho not in such a dramatic way.

When I was a child I had chronic pain in my legs and feet which went away after I got corrective shoes. I'm missing a ligament in my arch. I don't remember ever not being able to bear weight, tho.

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Take him to a chiroprator my youngest son had this happen when he was two or three I cant remember the exact age. The ER doctor tested him for a condition which was faital and scared me severely which isn't like me. I started taking him to a chiroprator that day after two months of weekly treatment he was fine and rarely has problems now he is almost 11. For the first 2 years after if he thought he was in some pain with his leg he asked to go to the Chiroprator. He plays every sport he can and is constantly on the go like any young boy. Good luck and may god watch over you and yours.

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Get him in before June and in the meantime try Potassium. My son doe gymnastics and will get leg cramps, we had him make sure he is eating a banana a day and it helps a lot, now when he gets one we just look back and realize he didn't get his banana. Bananas have a lot of potassium but also can cause contipation, so monitor that to prevent problems.

I agree with Sarah H. Make sure they do blood work when you take him to the MD. Do not let them do the 5 min assessment and send you out the door. Start him on a multi-vitamin if he is not already on one.

I guess I'm a little late, but I just had to respond because I feel bad for him!

I am probably biased in my opinion of what might be wrong because of what happened to me. I have had severe left leg pain, buckling and muscle spasms, eventually becoming partial paralysis and loss of sensation. All of it was because of a herniated intervertebral disc in my lower back that was damaging my SI nerve. It sounds to me like he may have somehow pinched this nerve. Did he have a big fall recently, or does he walk in a strange way or really is there anything off about his locomotion that could be pinching a nerve? A pinched nerve can cause the same symptoms you're describing because the pressure on the nerve comes and goes depending on positioning (at night and in the morning from sleeping in one position), joint and muscle fatigue (at the end of the day) etc.. etc..

Ask the doctor if this is a possibility and ask if they can conduct a neurosensory exam on him.

EDIT: Also, don't want to scare you, but Hip Perthes is a disease that strikes young boys. Not usually this young of course, usually 6-10year olds, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to keep it in mind and ask about it. It can be corrected with a specific surgery. My little brother had it a few years ago and he's fine now.

Two things, R.. Although very unusual for a toddler, it could be a bloodclot. He would need a doppler ultrasound to rule that out. Has he been in a car seat for a long time without moving? That could cause pain that lasts a while too.

Good luck - hope your sister/sil has news that isn't bad.
D.

Back to the doctor and if he dismisses it again, find someone else. Not to be an alarmist, but leg pain can be indicative of any number of serious issues (including Leukemia). Better to safe than sorry.

Take him to your chiropractor today, and he will get relief today. Chiropractic is safe, effective, and for what they can do, very inexpensive! I have witnessed many miracles working in my office as a chiropractic assistant!
My daughter is one of those miracles. Another one, a lady was carried from the ER who was not able to walk, and the MD told her he could not find anything wrong with her. After my DC was done with her, she walked out of our office unassisted and VERY happy!

I know that can be scary, but try to keep calm about it. You've tried the ER already, so just be patient.

Best wishes!

Are you sure he doesn't have a fracture in his leg? I agree with everyone else, get an ultrasound and an x-ray to see what is going on. Tell the doctors that you want to see, with your eyes, the x-rays so they can verify their reasoning. You might want to consider going to a different hospital...sometimes different doctors give different opinions. I don't know where you live but Beaumont Royal Oak and DMC have branches in the hospital that specialize in children's medicine.

Good luck!

Its probably a lack of potassium and/or magnesium. Vitamin defiency's can cause a lot of problems. Good luck and I hope he feels better.
A.
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I was told to watch for that after my son was diagnosed with Aspergers, which is on the high functioning side of autism. I am NOT suggesting he has autism, but rather that the pain leg needs to be checked out. It could be growing pains, but I've found that if there's a pattern (like even after he eats certain things), to report it. Keep track. It could be a circulation issue. I personally have a muscle weakness on the back of my left leg from a snap of the muscle a few years ago - that leg was always weaker, but after that snap for no reason, it gives out on me - I recently fell in the school parking lot and really hurt myself badly because of it. Awkward! I take magnesium to help, and quinine (Hylands has one for legs) based supplements help, but do NOT do the quinine without checking w/the Dr. - it can be dangerous, especially for a child, if you overdo the dosage. Quinine is the common ingredient in those restless leg meds you see. It does help. I'm wondering if a pediatric orthopedist could help. You could call and see if it's their area. We had to go to one, but it was due to other issues.

HI R.,

Get him to an upper cervical chiropractor right now. It could be something serious like the ladies have suggested but it also could be something simple as well. Don't panic, just be persistent.

Either way it needs immediate attention and you need a good diagnosis. An upper cervical chiropractor will KNOW. If you don't have one, go to ucspine.com and find one in your area. When you interview them, ask how the chiropractic care helps the immune system. If they don't know, you are in the wrong place. Chiropractors have more biology, anatomy and nutritional training than an MD and look at the body as a whole. If they see that your son needs an MD, they will tell you. I go to the largest pediatric chiropractic practice in Georgia. They know what they are doing.

God bless!

M.