Thigh Pain in 7 y.o.

A.,

If he's limping? I wouldn't wait a couple of days to see the doctor. That's just me.

Growing pains usually happen at the joints and middle of the bones and muscles. Although 7 years old is a good growth spurt.

What do they do to warm up for soccer? Do you watch what they do?
Is the pain on the FRONT of the leg - quads or in the BACK - hamstring? If he could have done ANYTHING to his quads or hamstring. If the pain is worsening? and it's the BACK (hamstring) he could have pulled it or done more damage.

I'd call the orthopedist and see if you can get in TODAY.

Obviously we can't diagnose or give medical advice here, and it's good that you already have an appt set up with his doctor. Sure, it's possible it is overuse, or straining a muscle/tendon or whatever. It could be other things as well, so it's good you aren't making assumptions and are going to the doctor. One thing you might ask them about, if he is still having problems and it hasn't resolved by the time you go, is transient synovitis (also called toxic synovitis). The name sounds scarier than the diagnosis is, but I think in most cases it is one of those weird things that just goes away and is no big deal. Pretty sure my own son had it when he was about 4 years old. It came up suddenly (at the end of having had a cold with a fever), lasted a few days (in which we were petrified b/c he refused to walk and had pain just trying to stand up for no apparent reason with no apparent injury whatsoever and we didn't know what was going on, the hospital ran a bunch of blood work and came up dry, and after taking some advil at the hospital and drinking a bottle of gatorade --with accompanying electrolytes (while we were waiting for blood test results), and having a snack, he was completely fine---after 2 days of pain that was most certainly real and not faked). It was bizarre. But ultimately no big deal.

So, it could be something like that. Here's a link if you want to read about it. Given that he's playing soccer, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled or over used something though. Glad you are going to the doctor to confirm and check things out. Hope he feels better soon.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1007186-clinical

7 yrs old is prime time for growing pains.
Measure him weekly and see if he's having a growth spurt.
He might need more sleep and/or more to eat.
The pains tend to be in the long bones areas of arms and legs and can come any time day or night.
Our son shot up 4 inches when he was 4, 6 and 8 yrs old.
I had trouble keeping him in clothes that fit - and the growing pains were horrible.
With him - the pattern seemed to be his shoe size would increase first (new shoes), he'd be tripping all over getting used to bigger feet, and then he'd out grow everything else.
Once the growth spurt comes to an end, the pains stop happening.

I agree with previous post about the need to stretch before and between soccer practices. If the coach doesn't do it then you should help your child learn how to stretch.

Make sure he's stretching good before practice. Lots of water and bananas. :)

Could be growth spurt/growing pains.

The standard routine for sports and over-use injuries is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Get a gel pack ice wrap at any major drug store, with a velcro wrap that will fit any size arm/leg. Get 2 gel packs - one to put in the freezer, one to use. 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. Elevate the leg, put on a TV or movie! If you don't have a good wrap, use a bag of frozen peas or corn because it molds to the shape of the leg. For compression, use an ace bandage. Do not use heat at this point - it increases inflammation.

Once kids (or adults) start limping, they can be off balance for a while, because the "well" leg takes more of the weight and then it can start to hurt as well. Protection is a normal strategy.

Hopefully the doctor will suggest some PT type exercises to use.

My friend has two super sporty kids and they have seen a sports medicine doctor due to all the strains, sprains and injuries. Physical therapy is sometimes needed. If your son's doctor doesn't have a definitive answer for you, get a referral to see someone who deals with sports injuries.