Inexplicable pain during puberty can be caused by bad posture or “growing pains,” but pain that persists for long periods of time should be examined by a doctor, Asia University Hospital department of tumors and joint reconstruction director Wang Ta-yi (王大翊) said.
Wang cited a case last year where agirl in Taichung began experiencing pain in her left leg and said that the initial diagnosis was “growing pains.”
However, the girl began complaining of severe pain late at night that kept her awake, Wang said.
After further examinations she was diagnosed with osteoid osteoma, a benign bone tumor.
As the girl’s studies might suffer if she were to undergo surgery she was instead prescribed painkillers, Wand said.
However, the girl said that the painkillers stopped working by the end of last month and that even after taking three pills per day she could still feel “blinding pain” at night.
Scans showed that the nucleus of the osteoid osteoma was only 0.5cm and doctors made a computed tomography scan to ascertain its location before removing the tumor, Wang said.
The surgery took one hour and the girl returned home the next day.
The chances of developing osteoid osteoma is only 4 percent and patients have only a 10 percent chance of it being diagnosed, Wang said.
The majority of patients diagnosed with osteoid osteoma are between 10 and 30 years old, with the condition more common in males, Wang said, adding that it usually takes between one and three years to make a diagnosis.
Wang said parents should be mindful of their children’s complains of pain and that parents should seek medical advice if the pain persists.
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