Cymraeg
Arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions affect over 17 million people across the UK. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions that affect the nerves, tendons, muscles and supporting structures and they are related to a number of other health conditions.
Pain and restricted mobility are the main features of a range of musculoskeletal conditions. As people get older, the risk of having an MSK condition rises. Women are generally at greater risk of problems with their bones, muscles and joints than men. In many cases MSK conditions interfere with our ability to carry-out normal, day-to-day activities. Your musculoskeletal health is intrinsically linked to your lifestyle.
Causes
Sometimes pain starts after an injury, sometimes it can start after doing too much activity but sometimes there is no obvious cause. Some common causes of pain in children are:
- Growing pains – a throbbing or aching pain at night, these are very common in children and usually ease by the morning or with gentle massage
- Growth plate disorders – growth plates are common sites of pain, especially during growth spurts as the muscles grow at different rates to the bones
- Flexible joints – some children have joints which are more flexible than the average person, this is very common but occasionally can cause pain
- General weakness – when children are inactive their muscles become weak and deconditioned, this can result in generalised aches and pains
- Muscle tightness – muscles grow at a different rate to bones which can result in some muscles becoming tight and painful
- General strains/sprains – following activity a child may notice pain over a specific joint or muscle, this will usually improve with a short period of rest
While the management of some MSK conditions require specialist and/or surgical care many MSK conditions can be managed through exercise, weight management, good nutrition, smoking cessation, getting enough good quality sleep and pain relief.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has developed this website to support the community of Gwent to understand common muscle, joint and bone concerns and what can be done to help. We have designed a three-step approach to help you understand your options and encourage you to think about all of the things that might be affecting your problem. Please work through these to help you make the most appropriate choice based on what matters to you.
We hope you find what you are looking for here and perhaps discover new things. Go to Step 1
Pain and restricted mobility can have an impact on our mental health too, particularly when they prevent us from doing the things we enjoy. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board have collated a range of resources to promote and improve mental wellbeing on their Melo Cymru website. Here you will find self-help resources and links to further support such as online counselling programmes and details of organisations and services that may be able to help.
How we are made
The musculoskeletal system is made up bones, muscles, joints, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. The bones provide the body with a framework, giving it shape and support. Bones also protect the internal organs such as the lungs and liver. Muscles make movement of a body part possible. Joints, cartilage, tendons and ligaments connect the bones and muscles in the body together.
A child’s musculoskeletal system continues to grow and develop throughout childhood and sometimes growth continues into early adulthood. There are growth plates that are active in all bones during the growing years. These growth plates become active at different times of a child’s development.
How we develop
Children grow and develop rapidly especially in their first five years and during puberty. The four main areas of development are motor (physical), communication and language, cognitive (understanding), and social and emotional.
Motor development means the physical growth and strengthening of a child’s bones, muscles and the ability to move. A child’s motor development can be either fine or gross motor. Fine motor skills involve the small movements of the hands, wrists, fingers, feet and toes these movements help with skills such as feeding, picking up objects, dressing and writing. Gross motor skills involve motor development and control of muscles, balance and co-ordination needed to enable children to hold up their heads, sit and crawl, and eventually walk, run, jump and skip.
Motor development is important throughout a child’s early life, and physical development is linked to other developmental areas. For example, if a child can crawl or walk, they can move to explore their physical environment, which helps their cognitive development.
As children grow and develop, they meet developmental milestones, these are like a checklist that show us what an average child can do at a certain age, however, the timings of when a child meets each milestone can vary a lot from one child to the next. Gross motor milestones include rolling, sitting, and walking.
How we move
A child’s walking pattern develops as a child grows, they do not develop an adult walking pattern until they are around 8 or 9 years of age. It is normal to see different walking patterns and falls in young children.
What activities we do and how we do them
Children develop their gross motor skills at different rates, to help children develop they must be given opportunities to be active and experience movement. There are lots of activities that you can try with your child to help them develop. For most children the more they experience and practice a movement the easier it will become. Some children will take longer to be able to do certain activities and there may be lots of different reasons for this.
Once children can move around independently, they should be encouraged to be as active as possible in a safe and supervised play environment.
What we think and how we feel
Our thoughts and feelings influence our experience of pain and how we react to it. Being worried, anxious or depressed can make our symptoms feel worse.
Physical activity is good for mental wellbeing, building muscle and bone strength, developing balance and co-ordination and good posture. Physical activity also encourages children to learn about the world around them, helps them play with others, which in turn builds language skills, self-confidence and independence.
How fit and healthy we are
To be able to do what matters to us we need to be strong, flexible and fit enough. Our sleep and mental health can also affect how well we respond to challenges.
For children to be able to develop their movement skills and meet milestones, physical activity as well as good nutrition is essential. From an early age physical activity should be encouraged.
