Growing pain in children: symptoms and treatment

Growing pains are not part of any disease, in fact, on very few occasions a doctor is used for this ailment. Despite this, they can be quite intense, causing great discomfort in the child.

Despite the obvious symptoms, there are many doctors who do not believe that growth causes pain and, in fact, there is no scientific evidence to prove it, however, it is a fact that once growth stops these pains also stop and that usually appear between 3 and 5 years and 8 and 12 , two of the stages when we grow faster.

These pains usually appear in the legs , although there may also be pain in other extremities. They are mostly felt in the thighs and upper legs, in the calves and behind the knees, pains that can be felt in one or both legs.

Generally, these pains appear in the afternoon or just before going to sleep . It may also be that the child goes to bed without pain and wakes up in the middle of the night with them, despite everything, they disappear in the morning.

Something that does seem clear is that growing pains are more likely to appear when the child has had a particularly active day, in which he has jumped and run, so the muscles are more tired.

Despite what is believed, growing pains do not occur in the joints or bones, but rather in the muscles . If not, other symptoms would appear in addition to pain. For example, an injured joint would be swollen, red and tender to the touch, on the other hand, joint pain does not present any other symptoms apart from the pain that the child feels.

As we have already said, another of the symptoms of these discomforts is that they appear in the afternoon or at night , disappearing in the morning. This causes many parents to believe that their children are pretending, since the pains come and go.

Diagnosis of growth pain

The diagnosis of growth pain is made on the basis of what is medically called a diagnosis by exclusion . In other words, before diagnosing this pain, what is done is to rule out all the diseases that can cause the same symptoms. A medical history, physical exams and, rarely, blood tests and X-rays can rule out any other condition.

There is a basic aspect that helps us establish when a child is suffering from growing pains. Those boys who have suffered an injury or suffer from a disease are reluctant to touch, the fact that the affected area is touched causes them pain, so they do not want to be touched. On the other hand, those who suffer from growing pains have a positive response to touch : when they are massaged, touched and carried, they feel an improvement.

Since it is not a condition in itself, there is no precise medical treatment to cure growing pain in boys. However, there are a number of methods you can take to ease growth pain :

• Do massages in the area
• Muscle stretching and stretching
• Posing a blanket or heating pad on your legs
• Occasionally, ibuprofen or acetaminophen may be given to relieve your pain. Never give aspirin to a person under 12 years old.

As we have already said, growing pain is not a disease. However, in this growing season, these conditions can be confused with other major conditions or injuries. That is why below we will explain what are the symptoms that are not typical of growth pain , and before the appearance of which you should go to the doctor:

• Persistent pain even in the morning
• Swelling or redness
• Fever
• Limping movements
• Rashes
• Lack of appetite
• Debuilidad muscular
• Tiredness

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Growing pain in children: symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Bones, Joints and Muscles category .