toddler complains of back pain

[sarah2032]

I have an almost 2 1/2 year old son who began complaining of back pain in mid-October.  We had just had another baby, so I didn't really think much of it at first.  Then in early November he wouldn't walk, after x-rays and blood work all came back normal our pediatrician diagnosed him with toxic synovitis.  He began walking and was back to normal in a couple days.  However, the occasional complaint of back paincontinued, most of the time when he was laying down.  We took him back in to the Dr. and had more x-rays done.  Then in the beginning of December he began to complain of back pain when he was in his car seat.  Again, i just took it as he wanted out, nothing too alarming.  It has gotten worse that now he will scream like he is in enormous pain whenever he's in the car seat.  I have since paid close attention to what it is that hurts.  He always grabs for the middle of his lower back with his right hand and says that's where it hurts.  We had a Britax Boulevard carseat since April and were praying that it was the carseat that we went and got a new one.  Same thing in the new one.  I then began watching him sit.  When he sits he will not sit with weight equally distributed on both hips, he'll immediately shift his weight to one side or the other, or need to sit sideways with a leg up, then he's fine.  Since a 5 point harness prevents him from doing so, he can't figure out how to fix whatever it is that hurts.  This week he also started it in the stroller.  He will not sit on my lap without shifting to one side or the other.  Even if I distract him with TV or a snack or anything he's all over the place.  If I try to make him sit straight he will immediately begin kicking his legs and squirming his back all over the place, and then scream.  Our pediatrician ordered more x-rays but I don't know what else to do or who else to see for a consult.

[Ms_Dee_Dee]

Some meds cause constipation. I suggest going to a chiropractor that specializes in children.  Meds only mask the pain, they dont fix the problem, pinched nerves will cause life long issues. massages can help also

[Ms_Dee_Dee]

Children dont make up being in pain, there is a reason for it, whether its kidney issue or back/spine issue, dont brush it off, it could result in worse issues, a disc in the back going for a long period of time being pinched, does not get oxygen, becomes deadened, hard, the spongy ness of it is lost, t here fore bone on bone, which in a child has to be horrendous for life. Search for a good chiropractor, ask around, find one that specializes in children. I went to a few, some werent very good, in fact I would  worse, I ended up finding one that was Great, had young children of his own, and adjusted children. Ao  pinched nerve is nothing to disregard . Some meds will loosen your muscles up so that the nerve becomes unpinched. I dont know that they would prescribe those meds for young children, but chiropractors give immediate relief. Take care and good luck

[dolphinsweety]

I came to this thread when searching toddler back pain.  My little girl is two and has held her back from time to time since she started walking, and now is able to say back hurt.  She also couldn't hold her weight on one leg a few weeks ago, collapsed to the floor thee times in walking four feet!  Scary!  So anyway, she has leg involvement that wasn't really mentioned in the rest of the posts, but we got a diagnosis or a start of a diagnosis anyway, so I thought I would share.  She was diagnosed hypermobile.  (Her joints extend further than they should, the wrong way.  Kids used to call it double jointed.)  So she will be prone to lots of sprains and strains and such and the looseness of the joints pulls on other muscles for support, including back muscles.  Also, someone mentioned putting a box under kids feet in car seats so that wouldn't pull on their back so much, well that sounds like it fits with the hypermobile stuff, so I thought I would post this, for what it's worth and I hope every ones little ones are doing well!!

[greencyclist]

Should have said... my toddler also had a Britax Marathon carseat when he complained of back pains / tummy pains.  

[befreenow]

"Diono" is the only car seat that I could find,
that has no flame retardants. Uses fabric that has
natural flame resistance. Infant/Booster seat.
All in one. This eliminates a great amount of exposure,
but check carriage/strollers, highchairs or anything with
foam, and sleepwear. Labels will be on most everything somewhere.

Cover mattresses below, to avoid further exposure while sleeping. European research has claimed it eliminates all SIDS death entirely
when applied. They claim it's due to the chemicals in mattresses of infant cribs, etc. Babies and adult covers below.

http://www.stopsidsnow.com/Orders.html
http://www.offgassing-mattress-wraps.com/mattress-wraps.html

other information FYI.
http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-buy-a-non-toxic-mattress
http://www.healthychild.com/safe-non-toxic-organic-crib-mattresses
http://www.healthychild.com/prevent-toxic-off-gassing-when-you-cant-afford-to-buy-an-organic-mattress/

**GMO foods can cause the GI complaints, leading to back, etc
& would not be detectable in tests. Make sure little one's
are not eating any GMO.

http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo

[befreenow]

FLAME RETARDANTS in car seats. Britax uses some.

This could apply to some or many of the car seat related
complaints. Not sure, but I did lots of research on the
flame retardants in car seats.
Exposure to the flame retardants could cause skin problems
coupled with other issues from exposure. The body must
handle the chemicals through the tissues.