Our son is nearly six years old and for the past four years he’s had extreme pain down the front of his leg, from his knee to above his ankle, in either his left or right leg. We’ve had X-rays and ultrasounds but nothing has appeared. At times the pain is so bad he can’t walk and can’t control his crying. Do you have any advice on what we could do for him as we don’t want to keep giving him pain medication?

There’s a true saying in medicine: ‘It doesn’t hurt to grow.’ This is because bone growth is slow and very steady. However, these pains you describe may be growing pains, which are caused by overuse of the muscles, or possibly the in-turning of the feet.

As the tests you’ve had have shown nothing, I’d suggest consulting a rheumatologist. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or a bacterial infection such as osteomyelitis can occur and be a cause of bone pain, so they need to be excluded. Your boy will require further investigations such as a CAT scan and blood tests.

The toe next to my little toe gets pins and needles in it every time I walk. Can you tell me what might cause this?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause of the pins and needles in your toe because I’m uncertain of your age. Different things can cause the symptoms you describe at different ages.

First, assess your shoes to make sure they’re not creating pressure on your toe. Ruling this out, examine your foot to make sure you don’t have any joint swelling indicating arthritis. You may also need to exclude any boney abnormality you may have been born with, which may be causing the tingling. In case irritated nerves may be causing the symptoms, examine your ankle, knee, hip and back to make sure there are no injuries or signs of arthritis.

A consultation with your doctor or podiatrist is a good idea.

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Write to What’s Up Doc?, New Idea, Private Bag 9960, North Sydney, NSW 2059, or email newidea@pacificmags.com.au. This advice is general, without the benefit of a consultation. Always consult a doctor or healthcare professional. Listen to Dr John’s Health Matters on Sundays from 7am to 8am – visit www.theradio.com.au to find your local station.

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