3yo's knees hurting

or Juvenile Rheumatiod Arthritis. Is there any swelling associated with it? Is it worse in the morning as soon as he wakes up? If either of these are a "yes" make your doctor rule out JRA. There are blood tests but they are inconclusive. X rays and bone scans don't work, at least not with us they didn't. We only got a definitive diagnosis with DD from an MRI.

You can go to the Arthritis Foundation's website for more info on it. My pediatric rheumatologist said that they're the only website who's information he trusts on the subject.

I found out about JRA by doing a google search with "limping toddler" as the key words. DD started limping at 20 months but wasn't diagnosed with JRA until much later.

We've found that Motrin doesn't work at all. We have prescription naproxen for DD when her ankle hurts.

Hope you find out what's causing it, soon.
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"If you want your children to be bright, read them fairytales-- if you want them to be brilliant, read them even more fairytales" Albert Einstein

ask Hata.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

Has he had a growing spurt lately? Mine used to cry with their legs hurting and it was growing pains.
I don't know if there is a "usual" age for growing pains to hit them. . .seems like mine were a little older than 3 1/2 though.

Which one is the 3 1/2 year old?

It's John Douglas (J.D.).

I checked the chart. I can't tell if there is swelling around the joints (I guess I'd have to observe over a period of time). No redness or anything, of course. He complains of it almost daily. He doesn't limp. Occasionally he wakes up in the middle of the night (not fully awake) kicking his legs and crying.

I'm glad to know that about the hips, too. I'll mention that to his pediatrician. Better make an appointment today!

I am going through the same thing my son is exactly 3 1/2 yrs old and he tells me several times a day every day that his Knee's hurt and he cries and like you I dont feel comfortable giving him the motrin a lot. So I think like you I am going to make an appointment with his ped. I am affraid of it being Juvenile Arthritis because my husband had that as a child.

My son's knees started hurting at about the same time (3.5 yrs). Mine did as well when I was young. I remember waking in the night crying in pain...it seems common, so I'm doubting arthritis for my son (no swelling, redness, just pain when he's finally resting). When I would wake, my dad would rub D.M.S.O. on my legs and the pain would vanish. It's actually a muscle relaxant for race horses that you can usually only get from a vet (and some animal supply stores). I hadn't been able to find it for my son, so I bought some of my mother-in-law's mint cream (which has essential oil of spearmint and peppermint in it) and rub that on him. It at least gets him through the night and helps him sleep. Sometimes I do a combo of motrin and the mint cream, if he's having a really hard time getting rest, but that is rare.

Another theory (my own) is that 3.5 is when kids start really PLAYING I mean: jumping, running, rough housing with siblings, etc. and so the joints get jostled a bit more, and are getting stronger, as I out grew it, and his pains are coming less and less frequently (he's 4 now).