Growing Pains What It Takes to Stop the Aches

What It Takes to Stop the Aches

Sometime between the ages of four and nine, your child may experience what are commonly called growing pains. These mysterious pains occur in the legs--often at night--and may last for anywhere from minutes to hours and then disappear. These episodes usually occur several times per week and may continue for a year or more.

You might be surprised to learn that growing pains have nothing to do with growth. ''Actually, a better name for the condition is simply limb pains of childhood,'' says Bram H. Bernstein, M.D., professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Southern California and head of rheumatology at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

But doctors still don't have all the answers about growing pains. ''In some children the pains seem to be located in the muscles, while other children get pains in the bones,'' notes Dr. Bernstein.

In many cases growing pains may be nothing more than muscle soreness caused by overexertion of tight muscles. ''It's similar to how you or I might feel tomorrow if we climbed a mountain today,'' says Dr. Bernstein. ''A lot of these children are quite active. The tight muscles don't hurt when they're doing things, but do begin to hurt when they relax at night. In other patients, though, we really never know the cause.''

One thing experts do know about growing pains: They're not muscle cramps. Those are something else altogether--a severe pain, usually in a calf muscle, caused by spasm. '' With cramps, you can usually see the muscle spasm. That's not the case with growing pains,'' says Dr. Bernstein.

There are a few simple remedies for growing pains. ''But it's hard to predict which ones will be effective in any given case,'' he says. ''Once your doctor has ruled out anything serious, like arthritis, you may need to try a number of remedies to find out what works for your child.''

Reassure with calming words. Pain is scary to children, even if the cause is simply muscle strain, Dr. Bernstein notes. ''Explain to your child that the leg pains are probably caused by overexertion and that they will soon pass.''Reassurance is the most important thing. Kids need to know that what they're experiencing is not the result of any terrible disease.''

Fight the pain with a pain medicine. ''A mild analgesic such as acetaminophen [Children's Tylenol] may be all the child needs,'' says Dr. Bernstein. Check the package directions for the correct dosage for your child's age and weight, or check with your physician. If a mild medicine doesn't work, he says, ask your doctor about ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, which is only available for young children by prescription. ''Ibuprofen seems to work better than acetaminophen in many cases, though it's not clear why,'' he says.

Try a hands-on approach. ''Growing pains respond very well to 'mother's massage,' '' says Russell Steele, M.D., professor and vice chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. ''Gently massage the child's legs in the area where the pain is located until he starts to feel better.''

Warm up the sore spots. Heat may be soothing, particularly if the child's pains are from muscle soreness, says Shirley Menard, R.N., a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. ''A warm bath or shower, or even a heating pad can often bring relief,'' she notes.

Twenty minutes in a warm bath or under a heating pad is often all that's needed, adds Dr. Bernstein. However, don't leave your child unattended with a heating pad for an extended period because he might get too warm.

''Go camping'' in the bedroom. As a preventive measure to stop future pain episodes, it may be helpful to keep your child's legs warm at night while he's sleeping. '' You don't want him to sleep all night under a heating pad or an electric blanket, because that could be dangerous,'' says Dr. Bernstein. ''But small children can be safely bundled up in a sleeping bag. The sleeping bag will keep your child's legs warm, and he'll probably enjoy it.''