Unit 14

Growing Pains

Your 8-year-old son wakes up crying in the night complaining that his legs are throbbing. You rub them, and soothe him as much as you can, but are uncertain about whether to give him any medication or take him to the doctor. Sound familiar? Your child is probably experiencing growing pains, a normal occurrence in about 25% of children.

-- Diagnosis

Growing pains generally strike during tow periods: in early childhood among 3-to 5-year-olds and later on in 8-to 12-year-olds. They are what doctors call a diagnosis of exclusion. This means that other conditions should be ruled out before a diagnosis of growing pains is made. A thorough history and physical examination by your child's doctor can usually accomplish this.

-- Signs and Symptoms

Although growing pains often strike in late afternoon or early evening before bed, there are occasions when pains can wake a sleeping child. The intensity of the pain varies from child to child, and most kids don't experience the pains every day. Growing pains always concentrate in the muscles, rather than the joints. Most children report pains in the front of their thighs, in the calves, or behind the knees. One symptom that doctors find most helpful in making a diagnosis growing pains is how the child responds to touch while in pain. Children who have pain for a serious medical disease do not like to be handled, since movement tends to increase the pain. Children with growing pains respond differently; they feel better when they are held and massaged.

-- Causes

No firm evidence exists to show that growth of bones causes pain. The most likely causes of growing pains are the aches and discomforts resulting from jumping, climbing, and running pursued by active kids. The pains can occur after a child has had a particular athletic day.

-- Treatment

Massage, stretching, and heat may help to relieve the pain. Although the pains poing to no serious illness, they can be upsetting to a child (or a parent). Because a child seems completely cured of his aches in the morning, parents sometimes suspect that the child faked the pains. However, this usually is not the case. Support and reassurance that growing pains will pass as children grow up can help them relax.

-- When to call Your Child's Doctor

Your child's doctor should be alerted if any of the following symptoms occur with your child's pain: persistent pain, swelling, or redness in one particular area or joint; fever; limping; unusual rashes; loss of appetite; weakness; tiredness; or uncharacteristic behavior. These signs do not accompany growing pains and may be an indication of a medical problem that needs attention.