BACKACHE

Backaches are not common in children, so don’t ignore the complaint if your child has a persistent backache for more than 2 to 3 days. 

CAUSES: Unaccustomed, undue or sudden exertion could cause a backache. Has your child recently joined a gym or yoga or karate classes? Has he developed a new interest in athletics? If he looks otherwise well, wait for a few days more and things should settle down. An older child having emotional problems at home or in school may also present with backache. Backache could be a part of a flu-like illness presenting with fever and generalised body ache and relieved by paracetamol. But if the pain persists for over a week, call your doctor. 

The spine is made up of a number of small bones called vertebrae, each separated by a disc from its neighbour. The pain could be due to a disease of the vertebrae or the disc. The cause could be an acute infection or even a chronic infection like tuberculosis. Scoliosis (curvature of the spine), rheumatic diseases or even malignant diseases like tumours and leukaemia can also cause backache. But this is not common.

Sometimes, the pain may not be related to the spine. For instance, a child with urinary infection may also complain of pain in one or both sides of the lower back. 

TREATMENT: Depends upon the cause.

11 February, 2013