Growing Pains in Legs

As the name suggests, growing pains is a type of pain experienced by kids in the age group of 3 to 8 and adolescents in the age of 8 to 12. Growing pains in legs in adults is not commonly found. Normally, when children reach the teen years they stop getting growing pains. The condition is referred to as growing pain because it is associated with those who are still growing. Growing pains occur in both legs and it can happen to any kid irrespective of the gender.

Growing Pains in Legs in Children

Usually, children start getting growing pains just before going to bed. Sometimes, it may happen that there is no pain when the child is going to bed but may wake up in the middle of the night with severe pain. The intensity of the pain becomes higher on those days when they do more physical activity. The good part is that the pain does not last for a long time and no matter how severe the pain is, it will stop by morning.

Growing pains in legs is caused due to tired muscles. Sometimes, poor posture while standing, sitting or walking can strain certain leg muscles and cause growing pains. In some rare cases, it has been found that if a child is upset and is under emotional stress, it can trigger more intense growing pains than usual.

There are some differences between growing pains in legs and the leg pain which is caused by some injury. The characteristics of growing pains are discomfort, aches and cramps in legs. The pain is felt mostly in the front of the thighs, behind the knees and in the calves. Growing leg pains gets relieved with massaging but pain due to any other reason will get aggravated with massage. Growing pains in legs is not accompanied by any other symptoms, like, weight loss, fever, swelling in the joints, etc. which may be observed in other medical conditions.

How to Relieve Growing Pains in Legs?

Growing pains in legs in kids can be relieved with the help of some measures that can be taken at home which will help to relieve the pain. Heat compression by placing a heating pad over the painful area can have a soothing effect on the pain. Giving a light massage of the legs also helps. When the pain is in the calf a little bit of stretching the legs helps in pain management. Hold the leg a few inches above the bed and pull the foot and each of toes mildly in the upward direction. As a result, the spasm will get broken and pain will become less. If all these measures fails, pain killers available over the counter can be used to reduce the pain. However, never give aspirin to the kids to relieve pain. This is because it may cause serious health complications for them.

Many experts believe that by doing simple simple stretching exercises, growing pains in legs can be prevented. This can be done by bending the body forward to touch the ankles while keeping the knees straight. This way the heel cords get stretched and the possibility of pain in the calves decreases as a result.

Growing pains in legs is harmless and is a part of the growing up process. You should not worry about it and assure your child about the same so that they do not get depressed. However, if the pain continues throughout the day and you observe various other symptoms as well, like, fever, difficulty in running or walking, swelling and redness of legs, etc. you should take your child to the doctor. Read more on:

• Leg Pain at Night
• Leg Pain: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

In the last trimester of pregnancy, some women experience a bad lower back pain which gets spread to the thighs, knees, calves, etc. This pain is often referred to as growing pains in legs during pregnancy. Like growing pains in legs in children, this pain occurs during the night. The possible causes of such pain are believed to be hormonal changes, extra pressure on the lower back and weight gain. Due to all these factors, the muscles and ligaments get extra pressure and cause pain. Cold and warm compression alternatively is the best way to lessen the pain.