Benjamin Anderson suffered great arthritic pain and found it difficult to walkARTHRITIS is usually associated with older people but it nearly crippled four-year-old Benjamin Anderson .

Before, Benjamin, who attends King's Preschool in Malmesbury, loved bouncing around on his trampoline like any other child of his age.

But within months he was hobbling in agony and relied on his parents Karyn and Ian Anderson to take him everywhere in a buggy.

The family, who live in Batheaston but are moving to Milbourne, near Malmesbury next week. They want to be near Mrs Anderson's parents, Terry and Doreen Soule, who live in Ingram Street.

Mrs Anderson, 33, who works as a sales assistant, said: "Before Easter Ben began limping around in the morning, and then one day he had a fall. The next morning his knee was very swollen and and gradually his mobility got worse. He was hobbling around and could not walk by teatime. He was in agony. He would sit on the sofa and call us when he wanted to go to the toilet."

The couple consulted their GP. He suggested Benjamin might have septic arthritis, which is caused by harmful bacteria and needs to be diagnosed and treated quickly because it can rapidly destroy the joints.

The four-year-old was referred to an orthopaedic consultant in Bath where doctors feared he had chronic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a inflammatory disease which usually occurs before the age of 16 and may cause joint damage.

Benjamin also underwent an MRI scan to test for a possible tumour on his knee.

The uncertainty was worrying.

Mrs Anderson said: "You don't know what it is. That is the worst part. It made me very protective of him."

Father, Ian, is a paramedic and this helped him to remain strong throughout the uncertain weeks ahead.

Weeks after blood tests, visiting hospitals and hearing different prognoses, doctors finally said Ben was suffering from juvenile idiopathic oligo arthritis, which was particularly bad in his right knee. It is a condition where the cause is not known but which arises spontaneously.

This can affect children aged between two and three, striking larger joints like the knees, ankles or elbows, and research has shown that for some reason the body's immune system becomes confused and releases chemicals which cause inflammation.

Over 60 per cent of children suffer the disease into adulthood, but since June, Ben's pain has eased thanks to a series of steroid injections to reduce the inflammation and swelling.

Mrs Anderson said: "Within 20 minutes of the first injection he was running about and now he is much better. He takes strong anti-inflammatory drugs twice a day and he is able to bounce about again on his trampoline. The steroid injections last for about three to six months and when their effect wears off he goes back for more. We went to the hospital yesterday and they are very pleased with him."

However, she added that the disease means he is at high risk of developing an eye condition called uveitis which can leave the eye painfully inflamed.

Ben's courageous attitude of getting on with life have played a large part in is recovery, according to his mum.

She said: " He's a very active and determined little boy. He still has a bit of a limp but he's a real character, and has never let the pain get him down and he's very confident.

He gets on great with us and loves to play hide and seek with us at home."

Mrs Anderson now intends to help other youngsters suffering from the disease by raising money for the Children's Chronic Arthritis Association.

The family has already raised £230 for the charity after Mr and Mrs Soule held a raffle and opened their award-winning garden, which won a Malmesbury in Bloom class, to the public two weeks ago.

About one in a 1,000 children have arthritis. In many cases the inflammation stops late in childhood but about a third of children affected have problems that last into their adult life.