Patellar Tendonitis & Growing Pains- Need Help

Hi Guys,

I don't know where else to turn and I think a lot of you may be able to help me. My question is for my 8 year old son who has "growing pains." He's been diagnosed with patellar tendonitis.
It started 10 months ago. He's had x-rays, and an MRI. Nothing structural is wrong with his knee or hip but he has inflammation below the front of his knee cap.
His orthopedist says it's very common in young boys and is "growing pains."
The problem is his extreme pain. Only advil helps him and he's not allowed to take it because that is bad for his heart. He doesn't have a bad heart, the dr. said in general children shouldn't take it longer than 6 weeks. He's been taking it for 10 months.
We've tried physical therapy and that was a joke. He quit soccer, we ice it, take walks but nothing seems to help.
Because of how much Advil he's taken his dr. recommended a cortisone shot which he received 6 days ago. Since then, his pain has gotten much worse. I know it can take up to 2 weeks to work but I think the soreness of the shot, plus switching to tylenol has made things worse. None of us have gotten any sleep. He takes 500mg of tylenol (which is a lot for an 8yo) and 4 hours later he is crying. He's trying so hard to be strong and brave and I know he is in extreme pain. He whimpers in his sleep. Kicks his legs around while sleeping. He's fighting 24/7.
Since so many of you have mentioned you had growing pains growing up or maybe you have patellar problems, do you have ANY advice for me? I'm really at my wits end. Any info can help me.
Thanks for reading,
Ines

 

My son went through the same thing when he was a preteen. He grew 6 1/2" in a short period of time and his knees suffered. 1) Exercise bike 20 minutes twice a day and 2) A brace for active times of day, not 24/7. The bicycle riding helped stretch the tendon to fit the bone without weight bearing. There are several essential oil blends that help with joints, muscles and tendons. Wyndmere's 'Aches and Pains', doTerra's Deep Blue and Rocky Mountain Oil Company's True Blue are a few. Relaxation exercises helped my son fall asleep easily and he could sleep through the overnight pain.

 

Thank you Jim. I will look into the oils. That is a great idea as well as the bike riding. Thank you so much. How long did the pains last for your son?

 

I feel for you, this is a tough answer but I will give you my input for what it's worth, I go against the grain and side with Sarno on this one. My son was diagnosed with some diagnosis similar without any structural diagnosis on MRI or x-ray. I think it is not true, they label everything in children or adults with some label even if there is nothing structurally wrong. Its like they can't find a answer but they still say you are broken, which in turn instills fear.

I don't fault the doctor because this is what they are taught or think is right. They don't know any other way but I think my son has tms( its universal). Its just started at a young age and I try to teach him to be empowered and not to fear. I told him everything is fine and if something hurts it will go away, I don't want to instill the broken mechanism in him at a young age. I tell him his body is stronger than he thinks and encourage him, also to recognize fear and stand up to it. I tell him the number one goal of the day is to love god, ourselves, and others. Also to have fun and be silly, to many kids are so serious at a young age. (I still try to look at life as a game to have fun and laugh each day even as a adult) Its helping him a lot and I think growing pains is 100% tms. Kids are young and our learning to cope with life which is hard. Hence the diversion, but its hard to explain tms to a young kid. I don't have all the answer but I try each day to live a good life. Good luck wish your son good health and I'll say a prayer for y'all.

Ryan

 

I hear you. I'm not ruling out TMS with him. I can see it in him. He's a perfectionist, he's really nice (nickname Tylie Smiley), he's had asthma, and all this started when he saw me have a really bad breakdown of migraines and anxiety. I feel like that's what triggered it. I've tried my best to explain to him how our brains work and we talk a lot about fear but he doesn't fully grasp it. I'm glad I know about TMS so I can steer him in the right direction as he gets older. It just breaks my heart to see him in so much pain. Thanks for your advice.

 

I remember when my brother was a young teen, he had "growing pains" and swelling just below his knee at the top of his shin bone. Some of his friends had the same symptoms. It was painful. Now I think it was the symptom that was most " popular" and that it was TMS. It is such a stressful age!

Maybe you should ask this question on the "ask a therapist " option on the home page. At only 8 years old the techniques for addressing TMS would likely be different. I asked a question once and the answer was excellent. It took about a week before I got my answer so it's important to be patient. Just an idea.

 

I did ask a while back but did not get a response. I will ask again. Thanks for the suggestions guys.