Do growing pains exist in children?
The so-called growing pains are a phenomenon that often concerns parents and doctors.
They are attributed to the intense bone process during the age of growth with an unknown mechanism.
While they have special characteristics, we are almost always obliged to investigate the phenomenon clinically and laboratory until the definitive and correct answer is given. The differential diagnosis is broad and includes every reason why a child may be in pain.
The most common clinical picture is a child between 3 – 11 years old, without being absolute, who complains of sudden and acute pain in the shins. The pain is the same and symmetrical in both lower extremities and will often make a younger child cry.
It wakes them up at night and seeks out their parents to pet them and stay with them, while an older child will ask for medicine to make the pain go away.
Generally, psychological support, touch, and mild painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen also work.
The child has forgotten everything the next day and is ready for all activities and school until the next episode.
Of course, the clinical examination should be complete and the child should be checked for a possible history of injury, the way they walk and if this has changed recently, if there is swelling or redness in any limb or joint, or if there are similar symptoms in the upper extremities.
If these signs are present, then we have pain of another etiology such as the onset of arthropathy, local or generalized infection, sprain or fracture or even a tumor or leukemia.
Psychological reasons and somatization of anxiety are also common causes that arise after a discussion with the parents, e.g. a new member in the family.
We will test the child with a complete blood count and inflammation markers:
TKE, CRP and in case of suspected onset of rheumatic disease – rare – with RAtest.
X-rays are not always necessary if all of the above are negative and as a rule they are also negative in growth pains.
The instructions to parents if our investigation does not reveal a pathological cause are mainly to record the episodes, the duration of the pain and symptomatic treatment:
Simple painkillers and psychological support. The child feels real pain and this must be respected.
Because it is a problem that can last for long periods of time, parents must inform the specialist about any change in the nature of the pain because there may be another underlying cause.
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