Is your child unable to sleep because of aching legs? Growing pains may be to blame.
Most preschoolers and preteens experience cramping achy muscle pains in both legs growing. These tend to occur in the late afternoons or evenings. However, they may wake up during the night.
The growing pains usually start around the age of three or four. Around the age of eight to twelve, they recur again.
Growth Pains Causes
Even though “growing pains” are called “growth spurts,” there is no conclusive evidence that they are related.
Your child’s growing pains may result from overworking their muscles as a result of intense childhood activities. For example, your child may run, jump, and climb. Children who have been playing sports all day are more likely to experience growing pains.
Growing pains can be both physically and emotionally painful.
Every person experiences growing pains differently. Kids can suffer from pain in different ways. For most kids, pain is not a constant problem.
Children may experience growing pains from time to time. Sometimes children experience growing pains for months, sometimes even years. Growing pains usually subside as children get older.
You usually feel the pain at night, right before dinner time, and in the late afternoon and evening. Leg pains might wake your child up if they hurt so badly.
You shouldn’t immediately assume that your child is lying if they seem fine in the morning. A growing pain usually disappears by morning. The child is generally not hindered from playing sports or being active because of these conditions.
It is common for growing pains to affect both legs, particularly the front of the thighs, the back of the legs (calf), or behind the knees.
Researchers suggest that children with growing pains tend to feel pain more intensely. As well as headaches and abdominal pain, growing pains are also more common in children.
Children who have growing pains are also more likely to have headaches and abdominal pain.
Growing Pains: What Do They Look Like?
Your child’s medical history and symptoms can usually help your doctor diagnose growing pains. A diagnosis of growing pains should be made after ruling out any other possible causes of the pain. Whenever your child complains about pain in their limbs or growing pains, you should see a doctor.
A physical exam will not reveal anything abnormal in your child if they have growing pains. A blood test and X-rays are usually not required in this instance.
What is the treatment for growing pains?
Growth pains are treated according to the severity of the pain. Your child may find relief from the following factors:
- Leg massages.
- Muscle stretching. Young children might have difficulty with this.
- I am warming up the sore leg with a warm towel or heating pad. Please don’t use it during sleep to avoid burning the skin.
As a last resort, ask your health provider if it’s okay to give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen over-the-counter pain medication. Speak to your doctor about the amount your child should take. Aspirin should never be given to children. A life-threatening condition called Reye’s syndrome has been associated with aspirin in children.
What Are the Best Times to See a Doctor?
Growing pains almost always affect both legs, which is essential to keep in mind when visiting the doctor. Only having pain in one leg may indicate a more severe ailment. You should consult your physician.
Moreover, you must realize that growing pains occur in muscles, not joints. In addition, they don’t cause a fever or limping.
Contact your child’s doctor or nurse if they experience these symptoms. Growing pains don’t cause these symptoms, but your doctor should examine and perform tests:
- A fall, for example, can result in injury
- And illness
- As well as appetite loss.
- Lugging or difficulty walking.
- A leg ache.
- Painful, swollen joints with red, warm spots.
- Loss of weight.
Any other concerns you may have should be discussed with your doctor.
