Adolescents can have growing pains usually in the long bones during a rapid growth spurt. Some adolescents will develop knee pain with "knobs" on their knees called Osgood-Slaughters disease. Adolescents can also develop hip pain from a condition called Legg-Calve-Perthes disease where there is not enough blood supply to the hip joint. Children and adolescents can also develop juvenile inflammatory arthritis which can affect only a few joints, appear like adult rheumatoid arthritis or systemic JIA that affects the organs. In other words, if an adolescent develops joint pain he/she should see the pediatrician for evaluation.

Thank you for the question Some joint pain in adolescence will be related to hypermobility and other hypermobility syndromes A common cause of joint pain particularly affecting the knees is something that we call patellofemoral syndrome or anterior knee pain where the kneecap abnormally tracts and irritates the femur causing pain. This is very responsive to physical therapy and a home exercise program Joint pain can be a manifestation of 1 of the types of juvenile inflammatory arthritis Joint pain can be related to growing pains Sometimes joint pain can be an early sign or signal of the possibility of a malignancy Sometimes infections can be causes of joint pain, including Lyme disease and others I think the most important thing to emphasize is to use your pediatrician or primary care physician as the initial resource Have a good day Thomas P. Olenginski, M.D., FACP Staff Attending Physician - Geisinger Medical Center, Danville PA Department Rheumatology HiROC FLS Physician Champion BMD Committee Chairperson 570-271-6416 Fax: 570-214-2924

There can be lots of different causes for join pain. Sometimes it's mechanical versus autoimmune. I encourage you to follow up with his primary care physician for further evaluation.