WAG Knee pain in 7yr old..advice please

[2littlegymmiesmom]

So my DD 7 who is training level 4/5 and goes 16 hours a week has recently been complaining of knee pain. There was no major injury. I did see her land a back tuck off of stacked mats a bit awkwardly (she sort of over extended her knee a bit) but she never stopped practicing and didn't complain much at all. Fast forward a few days and she's complaining non stop and limping around the house. This past weekend we ended up in urgent care and luckily the knee x rays were clear. The doctor diagnosed a sprain and recommended a week off and that if the pain was not getting better in a week we would need to see an ortho and get and MRI. She didn't take the week off but we talked to HC and DD has been on a restricted work out this week (lots of bars and conditioning and beam without the tumbling) and only started tumbling on the floor again on Friday (still no vault though). She seemed fine but tonight complained of it hurting again. I know overuse injuries are very common and I am just wondering if there are any special knee braces for kids that might help her or any stretches she could do at home to help. We only have one more week of summer classes and then a week off before the fall schedule starts so plenty of time to rest it. I'm just looking for advice from those that have been through similar situations as to what works and what doesn't work to help them. As you all know short of tying her down there's no way I'm keeping her out of the gym for a sprain! Lol. Thanks in advance.

 

[cprp]

She needs an MRI asap! Just MHO

 

[cprp]

Forgot to add have been through this! MRI is essential

 

[cprp]

Lol! Have to laugh at myself because I don't know how to post my humble opinion! I felt moved to post because of OS and bad (requiring surgery but in the end OK) OCD. I'm old so bear with me!

 

[2littlegymmiesmom]

No worries! I asked for advice and I welcome everyone's input! We are new to this and I have been reading a lot about OS and other knee problems and that keeps running through the back of my mind. DD is prone to drama and loves to over dramatize her injuries (I will hear about a simple bruise for days "mom my leg/arm/toe etc hurt") so I didn't want to jump the gun on this. She's also dealing with a mental block at the moment with her ROBH and I was trying to determine how much of this was legitimate injury versus mental. She limped around all weekend and we practically carried her into the urgent care but as soon as the doctor said it's was not seriously she nearly danced out of there. Hence the reason I am having a very difficult time determining the actual extent to which she is bothered. She tumbled on it well on Friday with little to no pain and has not seemed bothered since. Just tonight she complained it hurt again after swimming for awhile and catching her knee on a swim tube. Thursday she said it was fine and attempted a bit more at practice and then we went school shopping (ughhh) and walked around the mall for a couple hours after which she complained it hurt again. It's just so hard to really gauge how much pain she's in and how much is just her being her typical self and being dramatic. I was thinking of trying a brace to see if that helped both with the actual pain and with her mental aspect of it (I.e thinking it helps hence no pain). Long term I was thinking after having a week off if there's still pain and she's still complaining a lot then getting the MRI. I told her just to continue to take it easy this week, light tumbling, no vault etc. thanks again for your input!

 

[Amusibus]

My then-seven year old had major knee pain which turned out to be Osgood Schlatters. This is very rare in a child so young because it is usually associated with a major growth spurt as in puberty. My daughter had it because of nutritional reasons, her growth for the previous three years was little to none, and she was recovering and did have a major growth spurt at 7-8 years old.

Without knowing where exactly the pain is and what movements or activities bring it on, there is not much I could recommend from the internet. I will say, OS pain is on the tibial tuberosity, which is the bony protruberance on the lower leg bone just below the knee cap. OS hurts more while using the quadricep muscles, as in going up stairs, rising from a squat, or anything involving straightening the knee against resistance.

Definitely get it checked. My daughter is a drama queen too, but even drama queens get injured now and then.

 

[raenndrops]

My then-seven year old had major knee pain which turned out to be Osgood Schlatters. This is very rare in a child so young because it is usually associated with a major growth spurt as in puberty. My daughter had it because of nutritional reasons, her growth for the previous three years was little to none, and she was recovering and did have a major growth spurt at 7-8 years old.

Without knowing where exactly the pain is and what movements or activities bring it on, there is not much I could recommend from the internet. I will say, OS pain is on the tibial tuberosity, which is the bony protruberance on the lower leg bone just below the knee cap. OS hurts more while using the quadricep muscles, as in going up stairs, rising from a squat, or anything involving straightening the knee against resistance.

Definitely get it checked. My daughter is a drama queen too, but even drama queens get injured now and then.

There is also a DEGENERATIVE knee disease similar to OS. The name is long and never got a cool acronym, but I was diagnosed at the age of 8... after having unexplained knee pain for over 6 months...
My doctor's advice for my problem... no running, no sports, no gaining weight, so prescribed knee exercises daily and my knee would last (wouldn't need a replacement) until I was 40. I didn't listen... "bad raenndrops!" ... baseball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, track, softball - catcher, and swimming at different times over the next 10 years. By the time I was 32, I had no cartilage in my left knee... my right knee was 4 years slower, but I still have my own knees!

Definitely get an MRI (but in the meantime, to check the placebo effect, you could buy a basic compression knee brace - OG has 2 from Ace in her gym bag at all times... and it could also help if there is a minor issue).

 

[cprp]

I apologize if I messed up your thread. I know it's probably all good, but I would talk to her coaches and maybe pm coaches here. Knees are major!

 

[Committed]

This happened to my DD last October, she was 6.5yo. All of a sudden her knee was bothering her. She'd be fine at gym or ice a little, limping at home, okay at school, miserable at soccer, etc.
I had a really hard time figuring out if there was a REAL problem.
I ended up taking her to her pediatrician. She didn't find a problem in the Xray, so I asked for a specialists opinion.
DD actually had torn her patellar tendon. She was in full-leg metal brace for over a month.

 

[2littlegymmiesmom]

Thanks all for the advice and for sharing your stories. As of now my plan is to give it one more week, get a brace for her to wear and see how it feels. The week following that the gym is closed for a break so she won't be doing any gymnastics at all...and I am going to enforce that rule hard and fast, NONE! If by the end of that week or even during that week she complains even a bit I am going to schedule a follow up with her pediatrician and get a referral for an ortho appointment and an MRI to see if there's more going on. At least I know she had X-rays and they didn't show anything bone related so I can rule at least one thing out. It's just so hard to determine what is just aches and pains that come along with beating up their bodies and what's actual injuries that require more care.

 

[BlairBob]

Rest if it's inflammation. Time away from hard surfaces (sprung floor, vault).

See about some knee sleeves or ace bandages and wrapping the knees.

Possibly "voodoo wrap" the knees before practice or tumbling but I think it would be better to rest.

http://glennpendlay.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/got-tendonitis/

 

[Faith]

At 7, I'd rest it until she's pain free. A couple of weeks off gym isn't going to affect her career at this level. Especially if she has a week off soon, giver her this week as well.

If the pain returns when she gets back start pushing for further investigations.

However, if she does have some sort of overuse injury, she'll need a major change in her hours or program if she wants to last in the sport.

 

[katlinchen]

Hey! Where is the pain located? On the kneecap, under it, below, above, besides?

If it is above it (I had this for some time) it may just be an inflammation of the tendons. You should rest it, massage and stretch the quad! This worked wonders for me (of course not overnight, but within some weeks). If that is not the case, I would recommebd massging -or even better to roll the whole leg, which means quads, calves and IT band out with a foam roller, they are not expensive and you can get it on amazon for example- and then stretch it. If the muscles are tight, it will hurt the first few times but it gradually gets better.
Just make sure that you do not roll over the joints!

The next thing it could be is that her kneecap is too tight, so you can't move with your hands (my best friends has this) and it usually produces pain around the kneecap, on some days its better, on others worse. It hurts when she sits for long periods and then stands up, it hurts when squatting down, riding a bycicle etc. This can be fixed with PT (massage, stability, stretching) and in rare cases requires surgery.

If it's in the side of the knee it may be "runner's" knee. It hurts whenever you bend it. Also rest, massage and stretch the IT band.

Another possibility could be "young girl's knee" which makes unspecific pain.

If it is warm and swolleb it could be Bursitis, which goes away quickly with rest and ice if it is not chronic!

So those are just some ideas that I have personal experience with, I am not a doctor or PT!

I would definitely get it checked if it doesn't improve!

All the best, I hope it's more drama than injury!
Keep us updated!

 

[B&M's mom]

Just an FYI clear X-rays don't always mean there's no injury. My DD did something to her knee, to this day we're not sure what. X-rays were clear but the MRI showed a small fracture. Would never have caught it without the MRI. Not saying your DD may have fracture, mine also had swelling, but I've learned that X-rays don't always catch all injuries.

 

[Amusibus]

Just an FYI clear X-rays don't always mean there's no injury. My DD did something to her knee, to this day we're not sure what. X-rays were clear but the MRI showed a small fracture. Would never have caught it without the MRI. Not saying your DD may have fracture, mine also had swelling, but I've learned that X-rays don't always catch all injuries.

X-rays don't catch MOST knee problems! The knee is a complex joint with lots of ligaments, tendons, and cartilages. None of that shows on an x-ray.

Raendrops, I wonder if you are talking about osteochondritis dessicans (aka "joint mouse"), or maybe juvenile rhematoid arthritis? Children don't usually get "ordinary" osteoarthritis except in very rare circumstances. Now the scientist in me needs to know!

 

[raenndrops]

Raendrops, I wonder if you are talking about osteochondritis dessicans (aka "joint mouse"), or maybe juvenile rhematoid arthritis? Children don't usually get "ordinary" osteoarthritis except in very rare circumstances. Now the scientist in me needs to know!

Nope... something like chondromalecia patellae ... but I know the spelling is wrong... It is something i have dealt with my whole life (since about 7 years old). It would hurt to go up stairs and to run uphill especially. But I loved sports. It about killed me when they told me that I couldn't play sports... and me following directions lasted about 3 months... until time for football practice to begin. Until then, I did my knee exercises and swam in the summer. I even tried to remember not to run. I went back to following most of the directions from November to April when baseball started. From there, I was done even trying to follow directions. Went back to tumbling and everything else people do as children. Ice and tylenol were my friends... with the occasional heating pad visit.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

DD was diagnosed with patellar tendonitis around age 9 (level 6), and after initial week of rest, ortho recommended wearing Chopat strap for practice (tumbling) and physical therapy (exercise, ice rubs, TENS, heat). We go thru bouts of no-pain, to months of nagging pain. Now at 14, she rarely wears the strap anymore, but when she gets to the point where pain is constant, we go back to PT for a few months and then she's good for a while.

Good to get things checked out. Good luck!

 

[UnoMas]

My DD had patellofemoral knee syndrome at age 9, sounds very similar to what you are describing. A PT gave her exercises which she did daily for 6 months and she iced after every practice. It went away when she stopped growing but would flare up again with growth spurts.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

So my DD 7 who is training level 4/5 and goes 16 hours a week has recently been complaining of knee pain. There was no major injury. I did see her land a back tuck off of stacked mats a bit awkwardly (she sort of over extended her knee a bit) but she never stopped practicing and didn't complain much at all. Fast forward a few days and she's complaining non stop and limping around the house. This past weekend we ended up in urgent care and luckily the knee x rays were clear. The doctor diagnosed a sprain and recommended a week off and that if the pain was not getting better in a week we would need to see an ortho and get and MRI. She didn't take the week off but we talked to HC and DD has been on a restricted work out this week (lots of bars and conditioning and beam without the tumbling) and only started tumbling on the floor again on Friday (still no vault though). She seemed fine but tonight complained of it hurting again. I know overuse injuries are very common and I am just wondering if there are any special knee braces for kids that might help her or any stretches she could do at home to help. We only have one more week of summer classes and then a week off before the fall schedule starts so plenty of time to rest it. I'm just looking for advice from those that have been through similar situations as to what works and what doesn't work to help them. As you all know short of tying her down there's no way I'm keeping her out of the gym for a sprain! Lol. Thanks in advance.

NOT LOL! shut her down as the Dr stated. pay now...or pay later.

 

[lovegymnastics22]

I'm sort of with Dunno here. Make her stop and get an MRI. I think if we allow our kids to do all this serious stretching and strength work at such young ages, we also need to be over cautious about how it might affect their bodies in the long run.