My daughter has started complaining about pain in her legs, specifically below the knees on her shin…

Hurry up and get checked... just in case something serious is going on 🙏

Kristina What?

Are they not swollen? Are they not hot where they hurt? My daughter has rheumatoid arthritis (seronegative variant - that's when tests are perfect, but joints get destroyed). It took a while to diagnose, and now she's been in therapy for 2 years.

Elena Wow!!! What other symptoms did you have? Not hot and not swollen

Elena And what was your trigger?

Could be growing pains, but keep an eye on it

It's growing. When I was a child, I used to get sick from this. Actually, I was about 10 or 11 years old.

If there are no external signs, only complaints (without redness, swelling, etc.), and the complaints are worse before sleep, it's likely growth pains. My daughter had this at 6.5 years old; we got her thoroughly checked out. If any of the above are present, if she complains of pain in the morning and finds it hard to get on her feet, it could be arthritis. I'd suggest seeing a pediatrician and an infectious disease specialist, possibly an orthopedist too. They'll likely order X-rays, joint ultrasounds, blood tests for various profiles, and swabs for infections.

Elena How did you find out?

Elena I think psychosomatics is a scam (I was 7 years old then). But that's not certain, because after COVID, my daughter's knees got sick for the first time at 5 years old, and they were treated with magnets (now her knees are okay, there's fluid, but a small amount 🙏🏼 it was mainly her ankles and the fingers and toes on her right hand and foot, and her right wrist that were badly affected

Elena To put it very briefly, the joints themselves started to swell. But one day (about 6 months after the first episode), I developed a very high fever, had a severe flare-up, and my daughter couldn't even get up. The ambulance refused to take us (we don't have movers), and there was no one to help. We barely made it through the night, and then somehow managed to get there (by car). Later, they discharged me with the statement that no signs of arthritis were found. Four months later, we managed to get admitted to a hospital in Khabarovsk, and that's where everything was diagnosed...

Kristina God forbid arthritis. Better safe than sorry, get checked. Tests, ultrasound, CT scan

Elena This is what my legs looked like during the second severe flare-up. The illness had started destroying my right ankle as well as my left... I hope it's just growing pains for you, but it's best to get everything checked out.

Elena Our little ones, may everything be good for them for as long as possible 🙏🏼 I just looked at a screenshot of myself and felt so bad about everything again, I need to pull myself together quickly, because pity hinders more than it helps here 🥺

You can go to a rheumatologist in Moscow. You have many doctors specializing in this field. First, get an ultrasound of your knees.