Symptoms and Treatments for Rickets

Rickets is the well-known name for a bone disease that strikes children the most. It is characterized by a series of soft and weak spots in the skeleton. It can strike any part of the bone structure in their body. A weak skeleton in the developmental period can cause a plethora of problems.When it comes to the causes, there is one main culprit – the lack of vitamin D, which prevents calcium absorption. Rickets ensues mostly when the vitamin C deficiency is prolonged and in a dire state. Here are the ten most pronounced symptoms and the corresponding treatments.

Delayed growth

It’s a common misconception that rickets only softens the bones. It also stuns any type of cellular multiplication within the bone structure itself. Therefore, it’s hard to pinpoint this symptom as a manifestation of rickets. Sometimes, it can lead to a whole another suspicion, like scoliosis and such.  The best way to treat the milder cases of rickets is by exercise. Sometimes, even though the diet is rich in vitamin D, the bones are brittle due to a lack of exercise. Light physical activity can be an excellent way to improve your child’s health. Furthermore, building a habit of spending time outside is an important one.

Spinal pain

The spine undergoes many growths and transformation during our lives. Most of this growth and activity goes on in the childhood period. If rickets strikes your child, they may experience pain throughout the spinal area. According to most experts, the most common exact spot is near the erector spine muscles. Spinal pain may be relieved by massaging, but there are other more pressing matters to attend to. Relieving back pain only masks the problem. By adding vitamin D in the child’s diet, you will surely see some much-needed improvement.

Leg pain

Like the spine, the legs also undergo much different health transformation. All this happens during the childhood period. They are pillars of every child’s body. Also, it needs exceptional bone strength to handle growth spurts and other changes. Rickets often manifest themselves through leg weakness and pain.  The most likely cause of rickets is a lack of sunlight at an early age. This can be correct by forming an entirely new habit a bit later. Go and take walks with your child, allows them to get to know the outdoors. Such a move will certainly help them turn their health around.

Muscle weakness

Muscles are also connected to our skeleton. It makes sense, as a softness of the bones makes you walk and move less. This, in turn, makes the muscles atrophy and weakens them severely. As rickets continues to be active in your child’s organism, the muscles will get weaker and weaker. This requires immediate action.  A good treatment for muscle weakness is intense physical therapy. Even though the vitamin D levels may return to normal, the muscles need a substantial shock. The therapy may even need to continue after rickets eradicates. Stopping the exercises prematurely may cause injuries and general weakness.

Pelvic pain

Around the pelvic region, we find our center of gravity. It is absolutely paramount that our pelvis functions in a way that allows us to move normally. Due to rickets, you may find your child experiencing substantial pain the area. It’s important that you don’t ignore it.  A good way to make rickets go away is to introduce milk into your child’s diet. Dairy products, in general, are an excellent way of combating rickets. The calcium makes the bones stronger, whereas the protein will strengthen the muscles. Such a combination will make rickets go away after a few weeks.

Tooth decay

Because teeth are made out of the same structure as bones, a lack of calcium impacts them as well. If your child is suffering from this symptom, they are fortunate. This is mostly because rickets can go unnoticed through other symptoms. The sooner you see the condition, the better for you and your child.  If the teeth are decaying badly, your doctor may give the child vitamin D and calcium supplements. They are to be combined with a vitamin D heavy diet, to make things better. The recovery period depends on the child to child.

Bowed legs

Due to leg weakness, they may grow wrongfully. Such an occurrence can severely impair the movement of your child. The sooner this is discovered, the better for the overall well-being of your child. The symptom of bowed legs will get worse over time, so it’s best that you treat it as soon as you see it.  The best possible treatment in these cases is corrective surgery. Physical therapy is very risky when it comes to bowed legs. To be sure about the outcome, your child may need to undergo a procedure. They are very low-risk surgical maneuvers with a high success rate. No need to worry.

Thickened wrists and ankles

Many people think that this is classic swelling. Thus, many parents ignore this symptom, thinking their child just falls too much. Instead, the truth is much grimmer. Rickets can manifest itself through thickened areas on the limbs. This isn’t due to swelling, but to a messed up cellular structure in your bones.  To combat this, your child may need to spend more time in the sun, plus take up swimming. Due to water resistance, swimming is an excellent form of physical therapy. It may even accelerate growth.

Fractures

Because the bones are softer, they won’t be able to withstand much pressure. This problem can often go unnoticed. It allows rickets to damage your child’s well-being. By allowing your child to perform the regular activity, you’re risking serious fractures. These fractures can be regular, but open ones are very possible. This is due to the irregular composition of the bone itself.  The best way to prevent fractures is to let go of physical activity for some time, just in case. With that, follow up with a vitamin D-heavy diet.

Inability to run

Sometimes, rickets can show as general weakness. If your child is talking about their limbs not listening to them, it may be suffering from rickets. This condition generally manifests itself through a severe weakness in the limb area. Thus, children may fall frequently or not be able to run at all. If you kid experiences this symptom, it’s best that you see a doctor immediately. By discovering the condition before it’s late, you will do a good dead and improve your child’s life.