Growing pains.
Many Children suffer from growing pains. This usually happens between the ages of between the ages of three and five years and from eight to 11 years. They usually occur during a growth spurt and when children are active and playing sports. The pain usually occurs in the front of the thighs, knees, and calves, and goes away in time. Unfortunately for a few Children, the pain can be distressing and persistent. They can also cause some back and neck pain at the same time.
What are Growing pains?
Growing pains are often described as an ache or throb in the legs — often in the front of the thighs, the calves, or behind the knees. Growing pains tend to affect both legs and occur at night, and may even wake a child from sleep. Although these pains are called growing pains, there’s no evidence that growth hurts. The pain can be due to the muscles and connective tissue of the legs and body not stretching enough and the bones frow and get bigger.
When is it time to see your GP?
- has pain in 1 leg
- has leg pain in the morning, or when walking or taking part in activities
- has leg pain that’s bad enough to stop them walking or make them limp
- has pain in a joint, such as their knees or ankles
- has a rash, swelling, or unusual bruising on the legs
- has leg pain and a high temperature
- feels unusually tired or sleepy a lot of the time
- does not want to eat or is losing weight
How parents can help
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gently massage your child’s legs/painful areas
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put a covered hot water bottle or heat pack on the painful area
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give children’s ibuprofen or paracetamol to ease the pain
- Encourage your child to stretch regularly.
How can we help?
During these years, many young people take part in a high level of various sports and recreational activities frequently resulting in injuries which, if not treated when young, can become a problem later in life. Many older teenagers also start to take on part-time work which introduces them to yet more physical demands on their still-growing and changing bodies.
These difficult and increasing demands carry the risk of injury and structural stress that, if not treated now, can lead to more chronic conditions in adulthood.
By making sure that the child’s body is functioning at its optimum and encouraged to change so that the child can be without pain. Treatment is focused on the symptomatic areas and also to help prevent further occuarances.
The science of treatment
Here is the ‘science’ bit –the body is a complicated machine, where all the parts work together but, bodies must, therefore, work “in balance”. In effect, left side and right side, front and back, the list goes on.
Babies and children are very malleable with much more cartilage in their young bodies. This makes them susceptible to problems, such as being born but also makes them much easier to treat. The treatment is very gentle and can be very relaxing(although not all the time). The focus is literally to untwist and decompress symptomatic areas. Also, treatment will focus on changing and improving the child’s posture and encourage changes as the child grows up. This usually happens or at least starts to happen on the first treatment and parents usually start to see some changes fairly quickly. As a rule, children need 2-4 treatments or so. More complicated problems may require longer but this will be discussed with you.
Say goodbye to growing pains in children with effective solutions from Horsham and Mid-Sussex Back Pain Clinic. Our expert team is here to provide the best treatments for aches, pains, and injuries. Trust us to alleviate your child’s discomfort and ensure their healthy growth. Discover relief today!
