Myositis in the child

Myositis in a child - as well as myositis in an adult - is an inflammatory disease of skeletal muscles in the neck, chest or back.

Most often in childhood, there is inflammation of the neck muscles, that is, myositis of the neck in a child. And this is a fairly serious reason for seeking qualified medical care.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]

Causes of myositis in a child

Among the most common causes of myositis in a child, specialists call drafts (i.e., hypothermia); overstrain of neck muscles (for example, during swimming); trauma (with a sudden sharp tilt back, tilt forward or sideways); incorrect position of the cervical spine during prolonged sitting (for example, in a computer), which leads to excessive stretching of muscle fibers and their inflammation.

Myositis of the neck in a child is possible as a consequence of a transmitted flu, respiratory infections, sore throat or tonsillitis. Inflammation of the muscles can be associated with rheumatism, diabetes, systemic lupus.

A particular form of this disease is parasitic myositis, which occurs when nematodes injure the muscles: cyclophyllide bandworms (echinococci), larvae of pork chopsticks (cysticerci) or round worms of the genus Trichinella. Larvae of parasites with blood are spread all over the body and can damage muscle tissue. Thus, Trichinella most often affects the sternum and the scapula-hyoid muscle, as well as the sternum-thyroid, the thyroid and the subordinate-sublingual muscles, so the localization of pain is somewhat different than with the usual myositis of the neck in a child.

[9], [10], [11]

Symptoms of myositis in a child

The key symptoms of myositis in a child are pain in the neck of the aching or pulling character, especially after a night's sleep, headache and fever. In this case, the pain becomes stronger with any movements and can radiate into the occipital, behind-the-bite or temporal areas of the head, be felt between the shoulder blades and in the shoulders.

Often, the muscles in the neck are sharply painful when palpated, and in the thickness of the muscle can be palpated individual nodules or swollen fibers.

Parents need to keep in mind that the younger the child, the heavier the course of the disease, which can affect not only the neck muscles, but also the muscles of the larynx and esophagus.

Diagnosis of myositis in a child

Diagnosis of myositis in a child is based on complaints and examination of patients. If a doctor has doubts about the correctness of the diagnosis, additional methods such as X-ray and the study of the bioelectric potential of muscle fibers (electromyography) can be used.

So, X-ray examination helps to differentiate myositis of the neck in a child and osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, phlegmon of the fascia of the neck muscles and other pathologies.

[12], [13]

Treatment of myositis in a child

Treatment of myositis in a child includes the use of topical preparations, as well as oral medication.

Among the topical preparations, the first place is occupied by local irritating (distracting) ointments and gels, the principle of anesthetic action of which is based on activation of local blood circulation and reduction of muscle tone.

Children should not use ointments containing bee or snake venom. It is best to use ointments based on menthol, camphor, turpentine oil, methyl salicylate. For example, the ointment Mentolatum Balm and Liniment Sanitas can be used to treat myositis in a child over three years of age: a small amount of ointment should be lubricated painful places 2-3 times a day until the pain syndrome disappears. However, it should be noted that such ointments can cause allergic reactions in the form of spasm of the bronchi.

Concerning other external means of getting rid of muscle pain, it should be borne in mind that gels and ointments with the active substance dimethyl sulfoxide (dimexide), as well as with ketoprofen (Ketonal-gel, Fastum-gel, Bystrum-gel) can be prescribed to children only after 12 years . The same age limit has a popular Finalgon ointment or Analgos ointment containing propyl nicotinate. And external means with ibuprofen (Ibuprofen, Dolgit, Dip Rilif, etc.) can treat myositis only after 14 years.

But the main goal of therapy of this pathology is the elimination of its cause. Therefore, for the treatment of myositis, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent Ibufen junior (Ibuprex, Nurofen, Brufen, etc.) may be prescribed in the child. The drug is released in the form of a suspension with a dispenser and is taken orally after meals (three times a day). The doctor determines the dose taking into account the child's age and weight. A single dose for children 1-3 years is 5 ml, children of 4-6 years are prescribed 7.5 ml, from 7 to 9 years - 10 ml, and at 10-12 years - 15 ml. As a rule, the course of treatment lasts 3-4 days.

This drug is not prescribed if the child has an allergy to aspirin, there are problems with the stomach, intestinal liver or kidneys, and platelet levels in the blood are well below normal. It is necessary to monitor the child's condition, since side effects are possible in the form of headache, nausea, digestive disorders and sleep.

If the ointments and Ibufen do not help, then to stop very severe pain, doctors resort to selective blockade of the nerve endings of the muscles with the help of intramuscular injections of novocaine (the so-called Novocaine blockade).

In the case of parasitic myositis, treatment is carried out with special antihelminthic drugs, which are prescribed by the doctor after the identification of a particular species of nematodes.

Prophylaxis of myositis in a child

The main prophylaxis of myositis in a child is to prevent the presence of children, heated after moving games or sports activities, in drafts (especially during the cold season).

The appearance of problems with inflammation of the muscle tissue prevents proper posture and a constitution that corresponds to the age-related physiological norms. Strengthening the muscular corset of children is facilitated by active pastime, systematic physical training, sports sections.

The child should not sit for hours in the same position, and the schoolchildren - during the homework - it is recommended to do a warm-up every 35-45 minutes.

Prognosis of myositis in a child

Intensive treatment of myositis in a child can take from a week to a month, but as a result, the inflammation will pass, and the pain in the neck will stop.

In the absence of treatment, the pain may diminish over time, but the muscle fibers, reduced by spasms, will remain anomalous. As clinical practice shows, this is fraught with the fact that intervertebral joints can move sideways, and this, in turn, leads to the formation of an intervertebral hernia in the cervical region.

If myositis in a child is not treated, the disease can become chronic and lead to a partial or complete loss of muscle tone (muscle atrophy) of the neck.