Assessing Pediatric Joint Pain

Joint pain is a common concern in pediatric practice. If a child is limping after sports or describes vague aches and pains, it often points to a minor injury or a self-limited condition. But in some cases, joint pain may signal something more serious. The challenge for pediatricians is knowing how to distinguish benign, mechanical causes from symptoms that warrant further evaluation. In this episode, we explain how to identify red herrings versus true red flags in pediatric joint pain. While awaiting a rheumatology referral, we’ll talk about what primary care pediatricians can do in the meantime to support children and families facing the possibility of arthritis.   

This episode was recorded on the exhibit floor at the 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference in Denver, Colorado. Angela Chun, MD, is the associate program director for the division of rheumatology at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She is also an assistant professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

In this episode, our experts discuss: 

• The most common reasons for joint pain in children 
• Understanding juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and how it presents 
• Common pitfalls that may lead to misdiagnosis 
• What providers can do in their offices before a referral