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Myositis in a child
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
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Myositis in a child – just like myositis in an adult – is an inflammatory disease of the skeletal muscles in the neck, chest or back.
Most often in childhood, inflammation of the neck muscles is observed, that is, myositis of the neck in a child. And this is a serious enough reason to seek qualified medical help.
[ Causes of myositis in a child
Among the most common causes of myositis in children, experts name drafts (i.e. muscle hypothermia); overstraining of the neck muscles (for example, while swimming); injuries (with a sudden sharp throwing of the head back, forward or sideways bending); incorrect position of the cervical spine during prolonged sitting (for example, at 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 flu, respiratory infections, sore throat or tonsillitis. Muscle inflammation can be associated with rheumatism, diabetes mellitus, systemic lupus.
A special form of this disease is parasitic myositis, which occurs when muscles are affected by nematodes: tapeworms of the cyclophyllidea order (echinococci), pork tapeworm larvae (cysticerci) or roundworms of the genus Trichinella. Parasite larvae are carried throughout the body with blood and can affect muscle tissue. Thus, Trichinella most often affects the sterno- and omohyoid muscles, as well as the sternothyroid, thyrohyoid and geniohyoid muscles, so the localization of pain is somewhat different than with ordinary myositis of the neck in a child.
Symptoms of myositis in a child
The key symptoms of myositis in a child are aching or pulling pains in the neck, especially after a night's sleep, headaches and increased body temperature. The pains become stronger with any movements and can radiate to the occipital, parotid or temporal regions of the head, and be felt between the shoulder blades and in the shoulders.
Often the muscles in the neck area are very painful when palpated, and individual nodules or swollen fibers can be palpated in the thickness of the muscle.
Parents need to keep in mind that the younger the child, the more severe the course of this disease, which can affect not only the neck muscles, but also the muscles of the larynx and esophagus.
Where does it hurt?
What's bothering you?
Diagnosis of myositis in a child
Diagnosis of myositis in a child is based on complaints and examination of patients. If the doctor has doubts about the correctness of the diagnosis, additional methods such as radiography and examination of the bioelectric potential of muscle fibers (electromyography) can be used.
Thus, 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 cervical muscles and other pathologies.
What do need to examine?
Who to contact?
Treatment of myositis in a child
Treatment of myositis in a child includes the use of topical medications, as well as oral medications.
Among the drugs for external use, locally irritating (distracting) ointments and gels take first place, the principle of the analgesic effect of which is based on the activation of local blood circulation and a decrease in 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, Mentholatum Balm ointment and Sanitas liniment can be used to treat myositis in a child over three years old: a small amount of ointment should be applied to painful areas 2-3 times a day until the pain syndrome disappears. However, it should be borne in mind that ointments of this composition can cause allergic reactions in the form of bronchial spasm.
Regarding 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 popular ointment Finalgon or ointment Analgos, containing propyl nicotinate, have the same age limit. And external means with ibuprofen (Ibuprofen, Dolgit, Deep Relief, etc.) can treat myositis only after 14 years.
But the main goal of therapy for this pathology is to eliminate its cause. Therefore, to treat myositis in a child, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Ibufen yunIor (Ibuprex, Nurofen, Brufen, etc.) may be prescribed. The drug is available as a suspension with a dispenser and is taken orally after meals (three times a day). The doctor determines the dose based on the child's age and weight. A single dose for children aged 1-3 is 5 ml, children aged 4-6 are prescribed 7.5 ml, from 7 to 9 years - 10 ml, and 10-12 years - 15 ml. As a rule, the course of treatment lasts 3-4 days.
This drug is not prescribed if the child is allergic to aspirin, has problems with the stomach, intestines, liver or kidneys, and the level of platelets in the blood is significantly lower than normal. It is necessary to monitor the child's condition, as side effects in the form of headaches, nausea, digestive and sleep disorders are possible.
If ointments and Ibuprofen Junior do not help, then to relieve very severe pain, doctors resort to selective blockade of muscle nerve endings using intramuscular injections of novocaine (the so-called novocaine blockade).
In case of parasitic myositis, treatment is carried out with special antihelminthic drugs, which are prescribed by a doctor after identifying a specific type of nematode.
More information of the treatment
Prevention of myositis in children
The main prevention of myositis in children is to prevent children who are hot after active games or sports from being exposed to drafts (especially in the cold season).
The occurrence of problems with inflammation of muscle tissue is prevented by correct posture and a constitution corresponding to age physiological norms. Strengthening the muscular corset of children is facilitated by active pastime, systematic physical education classes, sports sections.
A child should not sit in the same position for hours, and schoolchildren should not do warm-up exercises every 35-45 minutes while doing homework.
Prognosis of myositis in a child
Intensive treatment of myositis in a child can take from a week to a month, but eventually the inflammation will go away and the pain in the neck will stop.
If left untreated, the pain may subside over time, but the muscle fibers, contracted by spasms, will remain in an abnormal position. As clinical practice shows, this is fraught with the fact that the intervertebral joints can shift to the side, 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 partial or complete loss of muscle tone (muscle atrophy) in the neck.