Warning Signs of Common Pediatric Skeletal Conditions

Your child’s skeleton is developing rapidly from conception through their teen years, slowing down once they reach puberty and continuing into their early 20s. No-one wants to think about the things that can go wrong, but having a simple grasp on some common warning signs can help you, their parent, catch problems early enough to potentially prevent a small issue from becoming life-threatening. While the following information is not meant to provide a diagnosis for your child, it can provide some valuable insight in determining whether their complaints are cause for serious concern, and what to do if you determine that they are.

1. Waddling Gait

2. Back Pain

3. Abnormal Posture (especially when associated with back pain, discomfort, or stiffness)

4. Low Back Stiffness

5. Localized tenderness in an extremity, combined with fever, warmth, redness, or swelling

6. Sudden onset of pain and swelling in one joint.

7. Bulging appearance of the “soft spot” on an infant’s head

8. Disinterest in eating

9. Vomiting

10. Frequent illness/infections

11. Easy Bruising

12. Pain in the back or an extremity that is worse at night and is relieved specifically by aspirin (and generally not relieved by other pain relievers)

13. Joint pain that occurs with a fever or rash

14. Cyclical fever

15. Joint pain following a gastrointestinal infection

This is not a comprehensive list nor is it meant to provide a diagnosis, but the warning signs listed are common early signs of potentially serious pediatric skeletal conditions.

If you notice any of these in your child, your best course of action is to take them to the doctor as soon as you notice something amiss so that early diagnosis, and treatment, if necessary, can give your child the best chance at getting back to their healthy, energetic selves.

#ChildDevelopment #Infancy #Newborn