A mother has told how her toddler was diagnosed with arthritis after months of being told her symptoms were likely 'just growing pains'. Elaine-Maree Telfer, 30, from Moray, Scotland, repeatedly sought help for her daughter Skyla Smith, who suffered persistent pain day and night, often screaming for help.
Skyla, now three, was finally diagnosed in October 2025 with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), a chronic autoimmune condition that causes joint inflammation and can lead to long-term damage if untreated. The diagnosis came after a gruelling year and a half of hospital appointments and investigations.
Elaine-Maree said: 'It was the hardest thing ever seeing her in pain. Some nights she would be inconsolable, shouting "Mummy help me". All I could do was rub her leg, give her ibuprofen, cuddle her and let her know we would get this sorted.'
The turning point came when Elaine-Maree noticed a lump in her daughter's knee, later identified as Hoffa's fat pad herniation. Its discovery prompted further investigations that led to the arthritis diagnosis. Elaine-Maree said: 'It wasn't until I asked TikTok for any suggestions on what it could be that I started to research it, which also proves it needs more awareness.'
Skyla now faces weekly methotrexate injections, alongside anti-sickness medication and folic acid, and attends regular blood tests and rheumatology appointments. Elaine-Maree added: 'JIA is a forever diagnosis, but she can go into remission. We won't let her grow up thinking this diagnosis limits her.'
