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Is that ache a niggle — or a warning?
Walk through five signs for your child and get a printable card: what each one means, and when it's time to see someone.
Most aches in a young athlete are the everyday signs of a growing, working body — not a breaking one. But a handful are different. These are the five I tell the parents I coach to act on, rather than wait out. Take them one at a time, for your child.
The five signs worth acting on
For each one, ask: have you noticed this in your child?
A limp that doesn't clear once they're warm
They're still favouring a leg after ten minutes of warm-up, or a limp appears partway through a session.
Stiffness that eases off is usually fine. A limp that stays — or shows up mid-session — isn't one to run through.
Swelling you can actually see
One knee, ankle or joint looks puffier than the other side.
Joints shouldn't swell from ordinary training. Visible swelling is worth getting looked at.
Pain at rest or at night
It hurts when they're sitting still, or it wakes them up.
Load-related soreness eases with rest. Pain that shows up at rest, or at night, behaves differently — and deserves a look.
A joint that locks or gives way
The knee (or another joint) catches, locks, or buckles under them.
A joint that won't move smoothly, or can't be trusted to hold them, needs assessing — not pushing through.
One-sided pain getting worse week on week
Pain on one side that's climbing, not settling, over several weeks.
Most growth-related aches settle or stay steady. One-sided pain that's trending up is the pattern to respect.