Child with sore leg - at what stage do you take them to the Dr?

DS1 (4yo) is very active, and had an accident about 10 days ago.

He was climbing up the slat ladder of the cubby, and his gumboot got stuck, and he fell forwards - onto the floor of the cubby, which would have been around waist height based on how far up the ladder he'd got.

He complained of hurting his leg (which would have smacked right into the slat ladder in the fall) and wanted to come inside.

We had a look at his leg, there was no cut, scrape, bruise, swelling, etc, and he'd walked back to the house on his own, no dramas.

Since then though, 2-5 times a day, he has complained of his leg hurting him, and on and off, he is limping.

DH isn't convinced that it's really all that bad (and DS1 is quite the drama queen) and thinks he limps on different legs ... He doesn't think he's making it up, but probably exaggerating.

I have noticed that the complaining / limping etc is more pronounced after car trips and sleeps - so when he's been immobile for a while, and times when it's more likely to be stiff and sore.

He has however been happily running, jumping, ninja rolling on the floor, climbing, crash tackling, soccer playing, bike riding, etc in the usual manner - without any complaint.

Which may mean that DH is right, or may mean that it's sore, but not as bad when warm / high on endorphins / distracted - or that he just wants to play more than it's bothering him.

So at what stage do you get it checked out?

I'm confident that there's no break, fracture, dislocation etc - there's still no swelling, bruising, clicking of the joint, signs of irritation or rash, discolouration, etc, and he's playing with the standard enthusiasm of a 4yo.

I've had several thorough inspections, pressed right down on different spots to see if there's any bumps, rotated the joints, felt for heat, and there's absolutely nothing abnormal that I can see or feel.

I don't think he's making it up - a bruise on the bone is the best I can figure - it wouldn't necessarily be visible, but would genuinely hurt, particular after being still for a while.

I don't want to go through the drill of Drs or hospitals if they're basically going to say "yes, it's sore, and will be sore for another week or three" but if there's anything - anything - it's likely to be that does require medical attention, I'd want him to get it checked out.

Any thoughts? Anything I'm missing?

Personally I'd leave it. DD has done similar before, where she'd remember an accident from a week ago and her finger/arm/leg/bum would be sore. In those cases I knew she wasn't still sore, but with your DS it sounds like he isn't and maybe you're right about it being sore when it's cold and immobile.

But, given it's not affecting him and the pain in the butt it is to go to the Dr and have them say "yep, I think it's s bruise, it'll get better soon" I'd wait and see if it got worse or took too long to go away.

Thanks :)

How long would you consider "too long"?

Haha I thought that after I posted! Seeing as it's been 10 days already. I honestly don't know. I think it would come down to individual children, and it sounds like your DS doesn't just make it up for attention and you've noticed specific times that it happens. Maybe that's enough to go now, and maybe I'm just cynical of the ability of a gp to see anything more than you have.

Probably I'd try to ignore it, see if he forgets about it, and if he still says it's sore and limps in a week I'd go to the Dr. Maybe less than a week? Lol I'm probably not helping much!

It could be a green stick fracture - so the bone bends but doesn't break as such. If 2 weeks on it's still an issue I would get it checked. I've known kids who've played with breaks for days before it's been picked up.

If it were my kid and it was 10 days later and they were still complaining with a similar frequency, I would get it checked out over the next few days.

He didn't mention it all all today ...

Clearly, I just need to post a thread about his various ailments, and that will instantly cause them to clear up.

Obviously.

Will keep an eye on it for a while yet, anyway.

A friends DD hurt her ankle on Friday, X-ray was fine but reviewed on Monday and it's broken, she's been running around all weekend on it!!
If in doubt, get it checked, I took DD2 to have her wrist x rayed last year after weeks of complaining it was sore, hers was fine

Our little one had a toddler fracture which she still walked on and played without issue, she even kicked the Doctors with it to which they said "yes definitely not broken" had the X-Ray where they swiftly changed their mind and told us to watch it as it needed a cast to be put on. They wanted us to keep her off that leg while in the cast too... yeah that didn't happen either. No swelling, no brusing, nothing to show that it wasn't right apart from her complaining at random times. It can't hurt to get it checked.

It could also be a muscular tear. A gf of mine recently found out she had one in her calf muscle.

I never let things go with kids because their development can actually make it worse. I speak from experience from having parents that let it go. I have annoying ailments due to injuries that were left as a child. That should have been fixed.

See now I'm going to remember this thread next time there's something wrong with the kids :) DH always tells me I'm too relaxed with the whole "it's nothing, it'll be fine on it's own" thing. I just don't like our old condescending Dr who seeed to enjoy making me feel like a stupid new young mum who couldn't tell when a Dr was actually needed.

Hope your DS is ok though nutter, maybe just keep posting so it stays away lol.

All good today :) Not a mention, not any visual effect in movement.

I'm confident that it was a bruise on the bone.

I know my little man, good bad and sore, and it's not sore any more ...

Thanks all :)

My DD2 had something identical a few weeks ago. There was no accident or anything that we knew of but when trying to get her out at the shops she complained and wanted to be picked up. She then limped everytime she got out of the car, so we thought maybe pins & needles. After a weekend of her playing like normal but limping after sleeps etc, we took her to the Dr who said to give her regular doses of nurofen and return if she was still limping at the end of the week. About 2 days later she was no longer limping and hasn't since. I still have no idea what it was all about!

They're in cahoots, trying to make us all concerned!