Growth itself is a painless process. However, some children can have pain in their legs during fast growing phases. This is a benign condition known as growing pains.

They usually appear at night, when the children are in bed. They cry and wake up parents. After some massages, pain disappear and the family can go back.

The following day, the children don't have pain, go to the school and play with their friends as though nothing had happened.

Why can growth produce pain?

We don't know exactly why growth can produce pain. Doctors believe that growing pains are caused by little sprains in the muscles.

While children are active, they don't have pain. But at night, when muscles are relaxed, any movement produces pain.

The doctor has to rule out many serious diseases which can also be the cause of pain in legs. If the doctor finds any suspicious sign in the clinical exploration, he will ask for complementary medical studies.

There are typical benign diseases which can have similar symptoms, such as: Osgood-Schlatter disease or sever disease.

Which is the recommended treatment?

The doctor has to explain to the parents that growing pains usually solve spontaneously. He can advise for symptomatic treatment: anti-inflammatory pills, Vitamin C...

Doing daily stretching exercises, growing pains decrease in frequency and intensity.

WARNING: Contents of this page are only for general information. We recommend going to the pediatric orthopedist. We don't take charge of wrong interpretations of these contents.