Product Description
Arthritis is usually considered a disease of older adults, but nearly 300,000 children in the United States suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, such as juvenile arthritis (JRA), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, or Kawasaki disease. Yet until now very little information has been available to guide parents and doctors in properly diagnosing such children. Here is a readable, reliable guide to the common causes of bone, joint, muscle, and arthritis pain in children, designed to help parents and physicians understand these disorders, arrive at the proper diagnosis, and choose the most effective treatment. In this comprehensive resource, Dr. Thomas Lehman--the head of one of the most prestigious pediatric rheumatology programs in the world--offers easy-to-understand information on the causes, symptoms, tests, and treatments for a wide variety of rheumatic diseases and childhood pain. Dr. Lehman writes with great clarity, providing numerous case examples that illustrate the topic at hand and offering practical, down-to-earth advice. Equally important, he answers the questions that parents are most likely to ask: What should they observe in their children? What questions should they ask their doctor? Which tests are necessary? What risk factors should they be aware of? And how can they help their children cope with the social and psychological aspects of their illness. The book summarizes diagnostic tests, discusses the most effective medications, and discusses physical therapy, alternative therapy, and surgical options that are available. Clearly written, thorough, authoritative, and up-to-date, It's Not Just Growing Pains is the definitive resource available on the subject for parents and health care professionals, helping them to understand the children's pain and find the best available care.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 11 reviews)

Old Information by Rokin Mom (USA)

2 Stars
March 26, 2008
I have to admit I was excited to find this book and read these reviews. However, before ordering I decided to search the book's text (thanks Amazon for a great feature!) and make sure what I was looking for was included in the book. It was. That said, the information was out of date, inaccurate, and could cause patients with hypermobility to blow it off as no big deal when it can be a very big deal. There is a brief but inaccurate mention of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after BHJS. My alarm when off when he mentions people with EDS often are tall, thin, with long arms and legs. That isn't true at all, and could cause people to not consider EDS as why their hypermobile children are having problems. Ehlers-Danlos is a big deal. If you know your child has it you can work towards protecting their joints to save them pain later in life. There is an argument that benign hypermobility syndrome is what isn't real, that it is actually a mild form of Ehlers- Danlos syndrome. Only time will tell what the medical community decides. Since there are six subtypes of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, each different from the other, and varying levels of affliction, it is scary to think that someone is writing books like this with poor information. If you don't know what you are talking about, don't address it. Or, update the book to reflect the current information. Better yet, contact the National Institute of Health and get the most current research on it. Since I can't know how accurate he is on other conditions I gave two stars. I guess like anything you should use this book as only a small piece of research, and find a good pediatric rheumatologist and/or geneticist who specializes in connective tissues to help you figure out what is going on with your child.

A must have for any parent with a child that has jra by Maraann Arneja (Huntington, ny United States)

5 Stars
March 02, 2007
I agree with all of the reviews! My daughter (just turned 3) was diagnosed with JRA when she was 18 months old. I spoke with Dr's and my brother had it as well, so I thought I knew it all! This book gave me MORE understanding and knowledge than ANY dr my daughter or brother saw! I too have a LAUNDRY list of questions to ask at her next visit!!! It was well written and easy for a non-medical person to understand! Hats off to the DR!

You won't regret this purchase by L. Finlinson (Saint Louis, MO United States)

5 Stars
November 16, 2006
My 2-year old was diagnosed recently with JRA, and after scouring the local library and the internet for every search term imaginable, and reading everything I could get my hands on, I recieved this in the mail yesterday and feel as though I've at least doubled my understanding of rheumatic diseases, and probably tripled it. The book is well written and understadable, without sounding patronizing. I have had multiple appointments with our pediatric rheumatologist, but after reading this I have a whole list of things I want to ask at our next appointment. I especially like how it's organized. The first half deals entirely with rheumatic diseases, their symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis. The second half discusses the medications, procedures, and methods used to deal with the disease. Parts of it were really scary for me to read because my daughter is so young, but I truly believe knowledge is power, and if you're looking for good info on JRA, Lupus, or other childhood rheumatic diseases, I'd recommend this read.

The Bible by Charles E. Hinkle

5 Stars
October 25, 2005
My wife refers to this book as "The Bible" because it appears to be the authoritative source for information on JRA. This disease struck our child in the Systemic Onset version, and after months of fumbling around by the local care providers we got a diagnosis that led us to this book and to an appointment with Dr.Lehman personally in NYC. We found the book to be very useful and after meeting Dr. Lehman we regard it as indispensible. We would highly recommend the book to anyone with a child suffering from this family of afflictions.

The Definitive Book on Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases by Walter Fekula (New York, NY USA)

5 Stars
March 26, 2005
Thomas J. A. Lehman MD is Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery, in New York City and also Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is considered the leading specialist in the world. As President of a charity that helps children in Russia, I have asked Dr. Lehman to volunteer his services and speak at seminars in Moscow to hundreds of rheumatoid pediatric doctors. He has done this several times over the past 5 years. He has also visited other countries as well besides allowing specialists from many other countries learn at his side. As a result of his unselfishness he has improved the lives of thousands of children throughout the world. He has written a book that every parent who has an afflicted child should read. My reason for writing this review is to assure the reader the he/she can rely on what it says, as there is no one who is more knowledgeable than the author. As can be gleaned from other reviews, the book has been written to be easily understood by the general reader.

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