Diagnosis
Your child may not need any testing for a diagnosis of growing pains. In some cases, your child's health care provider may recommend tests such as a blood test or X-ray. This helps exclude other possible causes for your child's signs and symptoms.
Not all types of leg pain in children are growing pains. Sometimes leg pain may be caused by underlying conditions that can be treated.
Treatment
There's no specific treatment for growing pains. Growing pains don't cause other problems, and they don't affect growth. Growing pains often get better on their own within a year or two. If they don't go away completely in a year or so, they often become less painful. In the meantime, you can help ease your child's discomfort with self-care measures, such as massaging your child's legs.
Self care
Certain home remedies may ease discomfort:
- Rub your child's legs. Children often respond to gentle massage. Others feel better when they're held or cuddled.
- Use a heating pad. Heat can help soothe sore muscles. Use a heating pad on a low setting before bedtime or when your child complains of leg pain. Remove the heating pad once your child falls asleep. A warm bath before bedtime may help, too.
- Try a pain reliever. Offer your child ibuprofen (Advil, Children's Motrin, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Avoid aspirin, due to the risk of Reye's syndrome — a rare but serious condition linked to giving aspirin to children.
- Stretching exercises. Stretching the muscles in the legs during the day may help prevent pain at night. Ask your doctor what stretches might help.
Preparing for your appointment
Most children who have growing pains do not need to see a health care provider. If your child has pain that's persistent or unusual, ask your child's provider if an evaluation is needed.
What you can do
Before the appointment, you may want to write a list that answers the following questions:
- Where does the pain occur?
- Is there a certain time of day when the pain usually occurs?
- How long does the pain last?
- What, if anything, relieves the pain?
- Does the pain wake your child up at night or make it difficult to fall asleep?
- Has your child experienced any other signs or symptoms — such as swelling, redness, abdominal pain or headaches?
- Has your child recently started a new physical activity?
What to expect from your doctor
During the exam, your child's provider may ask questions about your child's symptoms and activities. The provider may also check your child's bones and muscles for signs of tenderness.
