What could be wrong with DD's foot?

[ShanaMama]

In the grocery store today DD started complaining that her foot hurt. She was sitting in the truck part of a shopping cart. I actually took off her sock & shoe to check her toe, but there was nothing to see. I assumed that she stubbed her toe & it would get better shortly.
Just now when I put her to bed, she shrieked for about 20 minutes that her foot hurts. She was holding the arch of her foot & sort of curling the whole thing. There is no bruising or swelling & she is putting weight on it. She doesn't act like it hurts worse when I move it in any direction.
I spent time comforting her & gave her one children's tylenol (placebo?) & a bandaid (that one is real, not placebo :tongue5:). She really would not calm down, which is very unlike her.
I am telling myself that she strained it somehow & is really overtired & that's why she can't calm down. I seriously hope that it's not hurt badly. It can't be that bad if she's walking on it, right? If she's still complaining in the morning I guess I'll take her to the ped. Any ideas or reassurance are appreciated!

[ahisma]

It sounds like a cramp. I'm not sure what the treatment would be, but it may be worth a google to see if you can find some relief.

I'm sorry, it sounds super stressful for both of you.

[lmh2402]

i have gotten a cramp in my foot many times that comes on out of the blue (used to get them all the time when i was swimming - when i would kick and the water would push against the top of my foot, it would happen)

anyway, the cramp is in the arch and it would make all my toes kind of kink and curl. it was excruciating

but it was just a cramp. i would get relief from trying to stretch it. sitting and pulling up on my toes.

however, i found this type of cramp to be prone to quick recurrence.

good luck figuring it out and i hope she feels better soon!

[WolfpackMom]

Oh I was just dealing with this the other day and whining to DH about it a whole lot. As an adult, this cramp feels to me like growing pains! I took some motrin and whined a bit and put a warm compress around it which helped some.

[wendibird22]

I get cramps in my arches often. That's what it sounds like to me too. I find that increasing my potassium (eat a banana) and water intake helps relieve them.

[DrSally]

cramp or really bad growing pains.

[gatorsmom]

I am telling myself that she strained it somehow & is really overtired & that's why she can't calm down. I seriously hope that it's not hurt badly. It can't be that bad if she's walking on it, right?

This is what I was thinking when I was reading your post. She sounds overtired and is making more out of it because it's bedtime. I'm not trying to be unkind- my kids do this all.the.time. ad nauseum. Gator will start wailing like that at bedtime over a mosquito bite when an hour before he was running around not paying any attention to the bugbite.

I wouldnt be surprised if in the morning your daughter was fine.

[ShanaMama]

THANK YOU! I get foot cramps often & I know how painful they are. The grocery store incident was about 2 hours before bedtime, so I guess it was a separate incident or a first cramp. I'm glad I layed (sp?) with DD and comforted her & rubbed her foot instead of insisting she was overtired & letting her CIO, which is what I dreamed of doing after this exhausting day.

Totally OT but one of the first things I learned in swimming lessons was if you get a foot cramp, roll over on your back & float while you massage your foot. The instructor was very busy telling us that people (could) have drowned because they were overcome with the pain of a cramp. I remember this every time I get one!

[ShanaMama]

This is what I was thinking when I was reading your post. She sounds overtired and is making more out of it because it's bedtime. I'm not trying to be unkind- my kids do this all.the.time. ad nauseum. Gator will start wailing like that at bedtime over a mosquito bite when an hour before he was running around not paying any attention to the bugbite.

I wouldnt be surprised if in the morning your daughter was fine.

Yeah, I know all about the bedtime 'emergencies', but she was really crying in pain & that little voice was telling me it's real. It could certainly have been exaggerated due to her exhaustion, but it was not one of those I need another drink moments. She was hysterical.
I didn't even think of a cramp. I am so glad I listened to my intuition & comforted her instead of being the strict Mommy I dream of being, LOL.

[wimama]

If there is no swelling, no bruising, no redness and no warmth over the area, I would just see how she is in the morning. Make sure she wears good supportive shoes like a athletic shoe tomorrow and don't let her go barefoot.

What type of shoes was she wearing when she complained of pain?

If the pain persist I would go and see a podiatrist and get it X-rayed to rule out fracture or dislocation. She may have just strained it, or might have an inflamed joint or tendon. Most children don't often complain of foot or leg pain. More typically they say things like "I am tired. Carry me!" when their legs or feet hurt. If she says stuff like that often or if she continues to complain of pain she might have injury that needs treatment or a biomechanical problem and she may need orthotics (custom arch supports) in her shoes.

[Smillow]

If it was a cramp, make sure she drinks lots of water tomorrow & give her a banana!

[Clarity]

My dd2 had something similar a few months ago. She kept telling me that her foot hurt but I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I even convinced myself that perhaps she had flat feet. I'm still not sure about her arches, but the pain did go away. I just used lotion and massaged her foot each time she said it ached. It only lasted a day or two and then she didn't mention it again.

[gatorsmom]

Yeah, I know all about the bedtime 'emergencies', but she was really crying in pain & that little voice was telling me it's real. It could certainly have been exaggerated due to her exhaustion, but it was not one of those I need another drink moments. She was hysterical.
I didn't even think of a cramp. I am so glad I listened to my intuition & comforted her instead of being the strict Mommy I dream of being, LOL.

Did she get a lot of exercise today? My brother use to really cry from growing pains after a very busy day. But he'd be fine the next day. Hope she's alright!