Growing
Pains
What are
growing pains?
Growing pains are pain experienced by children,
typically between the ages of 4 & 12 years old.
The pain occurs in the legs & commonly occurs
late in the day & at night, often awakening the
child.
The cause of growing pains isn’t known. It is
attributed to rapid growth but there is no
conclusive evidence to support this, another
theory is that it is caused by physical
activity. Between 10% & 30% of children are
affected by growing pains.
Symptoms of growing pains:
-
Muscular pain in both legs, commonly in the
front of the thighs, the calves or behind
the knees. Pain sometimes occurs in the arms
too, but this is much less common.
-
Pain is sporadic, it may occur several
nights or weeks in a row & then completely
disappear, recurring again at a later date.
-
Pain occurs at night & is completely gone by
the morning.
Leg pain can sometimes be a symptom of a more
serious condition. You should see your doctor if
your child experiences the following;
-
Fever.
-
Pain, swelling or inflammation.
-
Limping.
-
Pain is still present in the morning.
-
If the pain is severe & or persistent.
Relieving
growing pains:
-
Lots of love, cuddles & reassurance. Growing
pains can cause your child to be frightened
& anxious.
-
Massaging the affected areas.
-
Stretching the muscles.
-
Applying heat such as a hot water or a warm
bath.
-
If your child is in a lot of pain &
massage/heat haven’t offered relief,
ibuprofen or acetaminophen may be of help.
Never give a child under 18 aspirin.
