Doctors brushed off 18-month-old’s pain as 'growing pains'—until mom spotted a lump on her knee that changed everything
Young mother Elaine-Maree Telfer was worried when her 18-month-old toddler, Skyla Smith, complained about a sharp pain in her knee. While the young mother decided to get it checked with doctors, they simply dismissed her concerns as "growing pain," until she spotted a lump in the knee that led to a life-saving diagnosis, per her TikTok account, @_emtx_. Telfer's story has resulted in a larger discussion about medical diagnoses among online users.
Telfer was told by her toddler since she was 18 months old that she experienced strange pain in her knee. The toddler, Skyla Smith, began to wake up in the middle of the night, crying and pointing at her knee to her mother. Telfer shared that she felt "absolutely helpless" watching her daughter as nothing seemed to work, per Newsweek. "It broke my heart when she would say things like 'mummy please help me,'" the young mother shared. Unable to bear the pain, the toddler began to limp while trying to walk and eventually refused to walk. Telfer noticed an unusual lump on her daughter's knee that appeared only when she tried to bend her knee, which prompted her to take her to the ER.
In her TikTok video, Telfer revealed that when she went to the doctors, her toddler's concerns were dismissed as "growing pain." However, the mother was reassured by the doctors that there was nothing to worry about. The doctors said, "It should go in four weeks," but agreed to refer Smith to pediatrics if not. Unfortunately, the pain did not stop and only grew worse. Soon, a pediatrician was suggested, who took an ultrasound and a few blood samples, which showed that the toddler was, in fact, positive for antinuclear antibodies. Telfer explained, "Orthopedics reassured us that they didn't think the lump was causing her pain, and they referred us to rheumatology who ordered a second ultrasound on the lump in a bent position. That confirmed it was Hoffa fat pad herniation and not contributing to her pain, but, without that lump, I'm positive we would have been turned away again."
After several months of tests and scans, Telfer finally learned the truth. Her daughter was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at the age of 3 years old. JIA can cause sharp joint pain, swelling, stiffness, fever and swollen lymph nodes. JIA is also more commonly found in girls, although the reasons are unclear. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Rheumatology found that juvenile idiopathic arthritis in infants is rare and difficult to diagnose. The study analyzed infants with JIA using data from the German National Pediatric Rheumatology Database from 2011 to 2020. Ninety infants with JIA were identified and compared with children who developed JIA between 1 and 6 years of age. Infants were more likely to have systemic JIA and experienced longer delays before seeing a rheumatologist. The study noted frequent diagnostic delays in very early onset JIA and emphasized the importance of greater clinical awareness, which was lacking in Telfer's case.
Telfer shared that she is relieved to finally find the reason behind it. "We manage her condition with weekly methotrexate injections, which also need weekly folic acid and anti-sickness medication to help with the side effects. She also has regular blood tests and appointments. I also have to rub her legs or arms regularly," she shared. Soon after Tefler's video caught the attention of online users, many stepped forward to share their thoughts. @unavailable_25_ wrote, "Absolutely no such thing as "growing pains" and I hate the fact drs pretend there is!!" @AshleyHall shared, "As someone diagnosed at 10, please look into hypermobility syndrome too!! I never displayed usual swelling, etc, until I was 10; I had pain from being 6. Wishing her well wishes." @tizzy commented, "And I've just seen the methotrexate!! I was on that for 10 years. Please look into switching her to adalimumab; the methotrexate is awful and adalimumab does the same thing for joints but no sickness side effects."