Back Pain in Children

Back pain in children and back pain adults are very dissimilar.  Back pain in children is more crucial and has a more serious disorder. 

This is very true for children who are equal to or less than 4 years old, or any child with backache that has weight loss, fever, frailty, numbness or difficulty walking or pain down one or both legs, malfunction of the bowel or bladder, and pain that interferes with sleep.

Mechanical low back pain is very common with teenagers.  Muscle strain in the middle or lower back can be given relief by resting the body.  Muscle strain refers to tight hamstrings and weak abdominal muscles.  This can be corrected by physical therapy programs that have hamstring stretching and abdominal strengthening.  Back pain in children ought to be examined by a doctor immediately for early identification and treatment or they become worse if it lasts more than several days.

The doctor will need to be told everything about the back pain of the child. First, the parents or the caregiver must give the a comprehensive health history of the child and his family. They must also give details on whether the child has had a disease previosuly or has experienced an accident in the past. All other medical problems of the child ought to be shared with the physician to better understand the child’s back pain. The location of the back pain of the child must also be sufficiently described. The time and precise location of the child’s back pain are helpful data, including the typology of the pain; describing appropriately whether it is sharp or dull. Finally, if the child engages in sports or activities that cause strain, such data ought to be discussed with the doctor. All these will help him the doctor arrive at an accurate diagnosis of the child’s back pain.  

The doctor will carefully examine the child's muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems. The doctor will check the structure and the flexibility of the spine. The doctor will look if there are deformities with the spine by feeling each vertebra to see where the child’s back pain is.  The physician will examine the child’s posture and gait (how he or she walks) and if the child can bend over to touch toes while the child has back pain. The nerves in the back of the child with back pain shall likewise be examined.  the doctor will do the straight leg raising test (The doctor will raise the legs while the child is lying face up) and the reverse straight leg raising test (While the child is lying face down the doctor will also raise the legs).

The mass and tension of muscles (such as the hamstrings) of the child with back pain shall also be scrutinized. In addition, litheness, balance, muscle strength and the child’s coordination for the back pain of the child are also looked into. The doctor will also check for areas of tenderness in the muscle of the child with back pain. Finally, reflexes and reactions of the child to pain when lightly touched.
The doctor will use one or several diagnostic imaging tools to look inside the child’s body. The X-ray is one of these tools.  

The doctor will take a look at the spine and pelvis from various angles for the child’s back pain. Another option for checking the child’s back pain is the bone scan. Bone scans utilizes an injectable to find infections, including abnormal growths and fractures with a special camera for the child’s back pain.

Computed tomography is a powerful X-ray method used to show a three-dimensional image to let the doctor see the bone injuries more visibly which may also be used. Utilizind radio waves, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans allow the doctor investigate the condition of the spinal cord, nerve roots, disks or other soft tissues for the child’s back pain.