What are growing pains?
The term "growing pains" refers to a benign (not dangerous) pattern
of pain in the limbs. This pain usually occurs in children aged 3
to 12. These pains are the most common type of limb pain in
children. Between 10 percent and 35 percent of children will have
these pains at least once. These pains occur in both boys and
girls.
What are the symptoms of growing pains?
Growing pains occur mostly in the legs (shins, calves, behind the
knees or thighs), and affect both sides of the body. The pain
appears late in the day or at night, often awakening the child. By
morning the child is well, with no pain or stiffness. Parents often
report that they can predict when the pain will occur, often on
days of increased physical activity or when the child is tired and
grumpy. The duration of the pain is usually between 10 and 30
minutes, although it might range from minutes to hours. The degree
of pain can be mild or very severe. Growing pains are intermittent,
with pain-free intervals from days to months. In some children the
pain can occur daily.
How are growing pains diagnosed?
Before diagnosing growing pains, the health care provider needs to
rule out other potential causes for the pain. The diagnosis is made
in children with typical symptoms after a normal physical
examination. It is important to stress that these pains are almost
always on both sides of the body and disappear by the morning. If
the child has only one-sided pain that almost always occurs on the
same side of the body and/or has pain or stiffness in the morning,
an evaluation for an alternative diagnosis should be performed. In
some cases, there may be a need to perform laboratory tests and
X-ray studies to exclude other diagnoses.
Are these pains associated with growing?
Because these pains most often occur during years when the child's
growth is not at its fastest rate, the pains are NOT associated
with growing. The name was given in the 1930s to 1940s when the
pains were thought to be from faster growth of the bones when
compared to the growth of the tendons. We know today that this is
not true. The name has remained despite our new understanding of
these pains.
What causes growing pains?
We do not know the cause of growing pains, but there are several
theories. Many children with these pains are very flexible
(hypermobile) with flat feet. Some children with these pains have a
low pain threshold and may also have headaches and abdominal pain.
One study found that children with these pains have less bone
strength than the normal population. Therefore, pain on a day of
increased physical activity may mean the child may have pain from
"overuse" of the legs.