Sausage toes may look cute on children, but they are often the result of swollen joints, a common symptom of junior arthritis.
The next
time you bemoan how troublesome it is to get out of the house and would
rather hole up at home with your gadgets, consider the predicaments of little
children who yearn to be their normal energetic selves but can’t due to junior
arthritis, which causes so much pain that some can hardly walk, and perhaps you
might treasure your mobility.
Arthritis,
once thought to be a problem associated only with ageing, affects some 300,000
children in the USA
JIA usually appears in children between 6 months and 16
years old, and any child can be affected by it. As with arthritis in old
people, inflammation, pain and stiffness of joints can affect difficulty or
loss of overall mobility. Early detection and management from a young age will
help to ease the problems brought about by JIA.
Early symptoms include joint pain, swelling of joints,
reddened joints and / or warm joints. The child may also experience stiffness
in joints, which leads to limping and clumsy and slow movement. Sudden
appearance and disappearance of rashes, as well as high fevers that spike in
the evenings and suddenly disappear are common symptoms as well. The rashes and
fevers are usually caused by swollen lymph nodes.
JIA can even affect the eye, causing inflammation called
uveitis. As a result, children with JIA may be required to go for regular eye
checks by an ophthalmologist.
If you suspect that your child may have JIA, don’t hesitate
to take him/her to the doctor. The Singapore General Hospital’s Autoimmunity & Rheumatology Centre provides consultancy and treatment for
JIA.
As with arthritis, there is no cure for JIA, but medication
and the correct forms of exercise as prescribed by the doctor can keep the
condition under control and allow the patient to lead a normal life.
In the meantime, it is vital for parents and caregivers to
remain positive. Undoubtedly, it is a heart-wrenching experience for parents to
see their children feeling helpless and visibly suffering from pain. Bear in
mind that a parent's emotions can affect the child, so keep your spirits up and help
your child to deal with his/her illness bravely. Most importantly, work closely
with the doctors and therapists and ensure that your child gets the required treatment.
Treat your child normally; do not treat him/her like an
invalid but allow him/her to move as much on his own as much as possible, thus
giving him more self-confidence. Do also discuss with teachers and other people
that he may be spending significant time with and let them know of the
condition and what they should do to avoid aggravating his condition,
physically and mentally.
"We keep her moving, we keep her active and we take one day at a time," the mother said. "When she is not feeling well, we respect that, but it's important not to make that a crutch or an excuse."
Sources:
0 comments: