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Night-time foot pain in children

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by Unregistered, Jun 28, 2008.

  1. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest


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    I have had foot pains for as long as I can remember well before being able to swallow ibuprophen, I am now 21 and I still have the same foot pains in my left foot. I went to the doctor once when I was little and they just disregarded it but its still there. The pain is more in the toe joint and now my whole leg hurts when it acts up as well as my hip. I am dying to know what it is the pain can get really bad if I do not catch it early. Im thinking of going back to the doctor.
     
  2. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    i too had sore feet as a child and now as an adult again. all times were due to poor diet. i/mum found by eating lots of vegetables with iron and absolutely no junk food (sorry kiddies :) within afew days it went away. i am now having great sleeps again. i hope this helps. good luck all!
     
  3. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Our 7 year old grandson has these bouts with foot pain. He says they come from the top of the feet. Being very active, and hockey being his favorite sport, we tried to link these episodes to an after hockey practice pain, but it is not. It comes and goes, sometimes we go for a couple of months before another painful episode. It always comes at night. I was interested also in many of these posts that mention night terrors, because he too suffers from these when he is overtired. We withdrew him from activities every day after school and this seems to have stopped the terrors. But with so many mentioning the night terrors and foot pain at night, you wonder if somehow they are related.
     
  4. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My daughter is 4 now and has had these horrible "night foot pains" since she was 1.5 yrs old. No! they are not growing pains! I too went to doctors with no solutions. Then I had my naturopath take a look and she put her on some supplements and clean diet. The gluten free, dairy free diet didn't last too long ( I should have been stricter). She still ate healthy though. The mystery for me was why does this pain come 98% of the time at night. Ok, so she explained it to me, I thought she was nuts but gave my daughter what she recommended...all except one thing. It was something I had to order and just kept forgetting. This is how she explained it to me. Her body isn't digesting her food properly and so it ferments/rots and creates gasses that only at night start moving and pushing against (I forget exactly what) something that triggers to the bottom of feet. I'm sorry I'm butching this. So I finally ordered the DIGESTIVE ENZYME (she recommended some special kind, but you can find it at any whole food store). So I've been giving her the supplements and the digestive enzymes but ever since the enzymes have gotten in to her system.....guess what? THE PAIN HAS COMPLETELY STOPPED!!!!! I mean nothing for more than 2 months. The other supplements include Vitamin C, Magnesium, Calcium, Adrenal support, Iodine, probiotics, codliver oil, flax oil and black walnut husk extract (to kill parasites that aren't allowing her body to properly absorb calcium). Everything minus the digestive enzymes were also helping but she would still get pains about 2-3 times a month. When I added the digestive enzymes the pain stopped. Just a word of caution: any supplements you use, make sure they are pure and no fillers and from a very reputable company (one that is more health oriented and NOT profit driven). Make sure you see a naturopath or herbalist specialist to guide you. As far as Vitamin D goes (someone mentioned it above) yes it is very important to have enough of it in the body. But PLEASE! only get it from fish/ cod liver. All other synthetic or plant/fungus source is very toxic especially in large doses like you hear now that it has become popular. I've had 2 friends that bought Vit. D from Cosco (some synthetic form) and have become horrible sick from it. It took them almost 2 weeks to detoxify there bodies of it. Cod Liver oil is best source for Vit. D but is very expensive to try to get large doses from so that's why they come up with the cheaper synthetic source. I hope this helps someone's child get relief from these horrible pains. I'm very thankful to the Lord for leading me down this path to find a solution.
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    We, too, have dealt with the excruciating night-time foot pain in our now 5 year old son. It seemed to subside on its own over the past year or so. The pediatrician was willing to do all sorts of testing, some of which seemed a little too extensive for our comfort so we left it untreated and attributed it to being barefoot a lot and swimming/jumping in the pool too much. But last night our 3 year old son had the same problem. Both boys described the pain on the top of the foot. My five year old's pain would subside after about 15-20 minutes with massage but my three year old's pain seemed much worse, did not respond to massage and lasted a lot longer. We finally put him in a warm bath and that seemed to help. He still complained of pain after the bath but much less severe and eventually went back to sleep. I am glad to have found this forum. I originally researched when my first sons pain started and could not find anything. As others have said, it is comforting to see so many others dealing with the same thing. It is also interested to me that both of my boys have this but my seven year old daughter has not. Its a very curious thing. I wish I had some answers. Its heartbreaking to see your babies in such immense pain. Best of luck to everyone out there searching for the answers.
     
  6. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My son just turned 7 and has been complaining his foot hurts for about a week mostly at night. I kind of blew it off and told him it was growing pains which is what I was told when I had them as a kid. But tonight he woke up in horrific pain. This is not normal for him he has a high pain tolerance and never wakes up from a dead sleep from pain. I know this because he is special needs and has been through a lot. he says it is the top of his foot and tonight he has started limping. my son has been through surgery's and therapy's that are very painful and never complained. I am actually scared right now and cannot imagine how much pain he must be in. He has aspergers and I seen him cry for the first time since he was a baby tonight and when I called the doctor he said it was growing pains and to just give him motrin and send him to bed.there has to be something these doctors can do to help. I wish the doctors were the ones sitting here trying to console a child who is in severe pain but hates to be touched. what happened to the doctors who had hearts.I just want a way to alleviate the pain for him. I am going to try hot water next if that does not work I will try a few other things on here. Hopefully something works.

    By the way I am a nurse so I do not hate the medical field just the ones that say a 7 year old boy can deal with a pain that they themselves would not be able to deal with
     
  7. uplatemom

    uplatemom Guest

    I too am glad to have found this forum but am saddened that no one has had much relief. Our son has had foot pain since he was 2, he is now 5. It has recently gotten worse again. It's every night now sometimes 4 or 5 times for 20 minutes at a time. It was like that when he was 3 for many months and then it was only once or twice a week. The only trigger I can suspect is stress (starting school, holidays, etc). It can be good or bad stress. He pulls at his toes and presses them backward against my leg or the wall. He cries huge crocodile tears and asks me, "when will they stop hurting Mama?" It is heart breaking. We went to more doctors then I can count. Pediatricians, podiatrists, neurologists, rheumatologists, dermatologists. He has had blood test after blood test, a sedated MRI of his feet. (The pain is bi-lateral). He says he feels it in his toes, specifically between the big toe and the next. Doctors have ruled out eurythromyalgia, Kohler's. Raynaud's, Morton Neuroma, Gout, Diabetes, Juvenile arthritis, Neuropathy, and more that I cannot think of right now. He used to say they feel hot and sometimes they are warm to the touch but not always. He never says they feel cold. We tried tylenol, motrin, rubbing herbs on his feet, rubbing liquid magnesium, plain lotion, flower drops, occupational therapy for sensory integration, plain massage, using a skin brush with joint compressions, ice, heating pad, tv for distraction. NOTHING helps. So we love on him and hold him and cry with him. Short of praying I don't know what else to do! Oh, one thing I found in common with others is that he is low in iron (the storage of iron called ferritin). He tried extra doses of iron but his body does not seem to absorb it well. He eats well, including veggies and meat. At the Mayo Clinic (yes, we went there too) they decided it was Restless Leg Syndrome due to the low iron. I don't know...(sigh). Good luck everyone. Let me know how you all cope with the lack of sleep. :/
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2011
  8. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hi. My 4.5 year old has been complaining for a year of pain in one foot upon waking-usually. We put socks on, do massage, and generally by the end of breakfast, they are gone. The pain is sometimes in both feet (arches) and sometimes appear during the day, or right before bed.

    She is not immunized.

    I believe it's real, and not normal growing pains, because my other two children did not have such pain, nor has anyone else in our family. She is too young to be "faking" it, looking for some external reward.

    So I am glad to have found this forum and hope we all find cures soon. I will be looking at magnesium, vitamins, iron, dehydration and foot position while sleeping. The parent who mentioned this always happens after a night of sleeping is 'spot on'. Also, we seem to have the cold weather correlation too. Remember, in the winter, it is very dehydrating to run the heat. So what if I start humdifying the bedroom? BTW I realize my post doesn't apply to everyone. There seems to be more than one type of "night-time" pain.
     
  9. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My 5 year old son has had these exact symptoms for a couple of years now.
    Painful foot, at night only, and he has always said it's "the cold pain" sometimes crying horribly. A heating pad is what he asks for and it does the trick every time.
     
  10. Ana Cristina

    Ana Cristina Guest

    Our son is 5 years old. Since he was about 3, he has had these episodes at night, wakes up crying and complaining about how his feet hurt. Today was his most recent, and it took all of us to calm him down. We massaged for 40 minutes with a special athletic cream, and gave him Tylenol to ease the pain. He complains specifically of pain on all his foot, the reason why I am writing is to figure out if there is special research we should do to investigate a little bit more. I have seen KOHLERs disease mentioned, I will certainly look into this. Since this does not occur very frequently - I would say once every 2 months - thus it is mind-boggling. Hopefully we will be able to find something out so that we can make sure he gets the adequate care. Poor little guy, it breaks our hearts, and he does genuinely seem like he is in pain. Thanks for your advice.
     
  11. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My 3 year old daughter has been complaining of this as well. She did say the pain is "inside her feet." I can't help but think about how often she sits in chairs on her knees. This evening during dinner she said they were hurting and said it was because of the way she was sitting on them. This position puts pressure on the arches of her feet and this Kohlers disease sounds like a circulation restriction... Could her need to sit up taller (refusing to use the booster)... and in turn sitting on her knees be prolonging her healing? I just can't help but thing of all the little people out there who are sitting on there knees... and after reading about so many complaints... I am going to be diligent about having her sit on her "Heiny"... I will post again if this seems to help.
     
  12. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My five-year old daughter has been suffering from the same problem since she was 2 or 3. My wife and I believe it has to do with calcium defeciency (or as some pointed out, Vitamin D deficiency, which could cause calcium deficiency). My wife used to have cramps in her legs and feet when she was pregnant because of calcium deficiency, and she often had to drink one liter of milk per day. Children need a lot of calcium when they grow, and when they have cramps in their feet, they would call it pain and probably would not use "cramp" to describe it.
     
  13. I have a 7 year old little boy and he's having the same problem. I feel helpless. I rub his feet with vicks and cover them up well and that seems to help. I thought they reason for all this pain is because he likes walking around the house bare foot all the time and never likes wearing socks to bed, but I'm not to sure anymore. I don't think you should let anyone touch her back! That may give her more problems in the future.
     
  14. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Wow, I can't believe how many people have experienced this! I just went through this for the first time tonight with my almost 3 year old. It's 4 am and I have been up almost all night with him. He just keeps saying his feet hurt.
    We live in the desert and he is always complaining about being thirsty. And every time he's woken up tonight he has asked for water. I have had trouble with dehydration since I was a child too, but never had foot pain. But I'm wondering if dehydration could be a potential cause. Since we live in nearly perfect weather 9 months out of the year and he spends a lot of time outside, I would be suprised if it's a Vitamin D deficiency, but his Pediatrician did suggest I put him on a supplement a few months ago. He also has issues with lactose so he won't drink milk, so maybe it's a calcium shortage. I will try a vitamin supplement and get some extra water into him before bedtime. Hopefully something will work so this doesn't continue! Will post if I find out anything new.
     
  15. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

     
  16. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I am really glad I found this site .... here I am at 2.45am and after being up for the second time tonight thought I would look up my sons symptoms.... He is 4 years old and has suffered "sore feet" for past approx 2 years. Like most others on here he ONLY wakes at night, it is mostly only one foot, Every time he wakes from this he needs to have a shower and even though he never said his feet were cold after reading this I am thinking maybe this was his way of warming his feet up?? ... I would always let him shower ,,,, even at 2.30 am as I have had no idea how to relieve this pain. It amazes me that there are so many others out there with this....
     
  17. jhanbo

    jhanbo Guest

    I am 61 years old and I'm still having these "growing pains", so I agree, it has nothing to do with growth or age. The soles of my feet burn and ache, the worse comes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours after I drift off to sleep waking me back up. Nsaids just don't do anything. The other home remedies just give you something to do but do not provide any relief. If you find a fix for de feet, please let me know!

    de Feeted...
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2011
  18. Has anyone considered this?? I am seriously considering this one for my son. I am going to see a few doctors on monday so hopefully I will know more by then.
     
  19. Does anyone's child have other symtoms such as..

    Itching
    stomach pain
    Heart murmur
    double jointed

    Also as a baby my son would of been considered low tone
     
  20. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Try this simple solution for one night to stop pain in your child's feet

    I have a 5 year old daughter as well with the foot pain complaint at night. Here's what I do: got her a night pajama outfit and some socks. I tucked the pajama bottoms under her socks and the top shirt part under the pajama. What this does is help keep her feet warm.

    It actually keeps her whole body warm but especially her feet and legs. In a half hour or so no more complaints. What happens at night, is the body temperature drops a bit. Kids run around all day and put great stress on their feet and the body dipping temperature at night aggravates this stress.

    Remember that children just learned to walk a few years ago and then run and jump and do all kinds of crazy things. So, in a sense this is growing pain but you can do something to prevent the pain at night-time. Some children's foot stress is greater than other depending on genetics and/or activity level.

    You need to keep their feet warm by keeping their whole body warm. Also, make sure the room they sleep in is not too cold. Try bringing the thermostat up a little.

    Having said that, the real solutions is what was described before. Buy a pajama outfit with a top shirt with long sleeves. Wear your child the top of the pajama outfit, the bottom of the pajama outfit and socks. The socks shouldn't be too short.

    Tuck the bottom of the pajama legs in the socks. Tuck the top shirt part of the pajama in the bottom of the pajama. This should keep their body, legs, and feet warmer. You may want to put a blanket over their feet or legs depending on how the temperature of the room.

    Just putting on a blanket without using that method does not work as too much body heat escapes. Just turning up the temp in the room does not work. The tucked pajama outfit socks method is an easy method and you can try it for one night to see if it works for your child. Remember to wait about half and hour for the body heat to build up inside the tucked in clothing.
     
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