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Growing Pains in Kids
What new parents should understand about their child's growing pains.
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Dr. Suhrstedt
Trey Suhrstedt, MD
Dr. Suhrstedt is a Pediatrician with Kentucky Children's Hospital.Learn more about Dr. Suhrstedt
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran: Growing pains is a term that many of us have heard growing up. It's used to describe deep aches in a child's body, often when trying to fall asleep at night. But is this pain actually caused by the child's growth or something else? We're going to learn more about it today with Dr. Trey Trey Suhrstedt, a pediatrician for Kentucky Children's Hospital.
Intro: Another informational resource from UK Healthcare, this is UK HealthCast featuring conversations with our physicians and other healthcare providers
Prakash Chandran: Welcome to UK HealthCast, a podcast by UK HealthCare. I'm your host, Prakash Chandran. So Dr. Suhrstedt, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you joining us today. You know, I gave a loose explanation up at the top. But broadly speaking, I'd love for you to describe to us what are growing pains and what exactly causes them.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Sure. So, if we think about the term growing pains, that's actually been around since the early 1800s. And since it first appeared, there's been a lot of different diagnostic criteria and definitions. And unfortunately, the lack of concise terminology and definitions has led to some ambiguity about what they actually are and what causes them. Some other terms that have been used in the past include idiopathic nocturnal pains of childhood and also recurrent limb pains of childhood. Typically, the diagnosis of growing pains will be a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that it's only made after you eliminate other identifiable, potentially more serious cause to the pain.
And as far as what causes them, we're really not entirely sure. So, multiple etiologies and pathologies have been proposed throughout the years, including a type of bone stress injury from either overload or overuse, the actual literal physical growing and lengthening of those long bones, also muscle fatigue after long and intense activity. But within what available research there is, the most commonly identifiable potential causes, include a family history of growing pains, kids with a lower pain threshold, improper posture, some decreased bone strength or low vitamin D levels. But none of those have been reliably proven as a specific cause. And although these do occur in growing children, they're not common during periods of peak growth. They don't occur at the growth plates. And thankfully, they shouldn't have any long-term effects on any kids.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that's really good to hear. So, it definitely sounds like there's no direct correlation here. So I guess, let me ask it another way. How common are growing pains in children?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, they're actually one of the most common reasons for children seeking medical care for a musculoskeletal issue. And depending on the specific age that you look at, up to one-third of kids may experience growing pains at some point.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. And I'm curious like what ages are usually affected by growing pains?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: There is a pretty wide range and some variability in the age of onset. Specifically, you would think between age three and 12. But within that, usually on the earlier side, so you're thinking more preschool, elementary, school-aged kids would be the ones that you would think about as to having growing pains. These can be short lived, but they can last for years even into adolescence.
Prakash Chandran: Talk to us a little bit about what children go through when they are having growing pains and like when does it represent. One of the things that I've heard is that it kind of comes on at night. Talk to us a little bit about what kids experience.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Yeah. So as far as symptoms and what they'll either tell their parents or what will be brought to the attention of the pediatrician is more of a vague type of pain, rather than any kind of specific or discreet pain. There's likely not going to be any identifiable injuries or trauma preceding the onset of their symptoms. It will be most likely to occur in the evening or early night. It can last a few minutes, maybe a few hours, even can sometimes wake up kids from sleep, but it should be gone by the morning. You think of it as persistent, often occurring daily or most days of the week, but you will have some symptom-free days in between. So, it's not going to be severe enough to cause any limping or interference with daily activities or prevent them from participating in any recreational activities or sports. And up to a third of kids can also have associated headaches and abdominal pain with them.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Yeah, I was just going to ask about the body parts that are most usually effective. So if a child is going through this or experiencing this, what is usually affected?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, it can affect pretty much anywhere in the body. But most commonly, it will affect the legs, particularly more so around the knees and the shins. Most commonly will be bilaterally, but can affect one side or the other. And it's not going to be localized to a specific joint or joints.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Understood. So, I think as a parent, when I think about this, you know, I have a young daughter and son, they haven't experienced this yet, but I can imagine when they start to experience this, I'm going to be like, "What should I do? And are there any treatments available?" Can you speak to that a little bit?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, there isn't any specific treatment just because at this point, we don't know the exact cause or mechanism for the pain, but there are some things that can provide some symptomatic relief, even if only temporary. So, things that we recommend would be for the kids to participate in a wide variety of exercises and not focusing on any one particular activity or sport. Getting adequate rest is important, especially getting enough sleep at night. Other things you could try would be a warm bath or massage, sometimes ice packs can help. And then, you can also use appropriate weight-based acetaminophen or ibuprofen, either intermittently or prophylactically if it becomes a more common problem.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. So from what I'm hearing from you, this is usually something that potentially can be waited out a little bit and you can take some over-the-counter to get some relief. At what point should a parent be concerned about growing pains?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, things that would say maybe it's something else other than just growing pains and they should seek care for, would be any severe pains, any joint that's swollen, warm, or has any kind of overlying redness to it, any noticeable deformity or anything that's looking asymmetric from the other side, if the child is limping or has any pain that interferes with her daily activity; pain that is accompanied by fevers, especially outside of any normal, cold or other illnesses. And if there's any associated rash or other skin changes, any of those could indicate that it's something that would need to be evaluated.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. That helps a lot. And so, obviously, you've been a pediatrician for a while now. And I know a lot of parents are going to be listening to this, maybe their children are experiencing growing pains. If you could share one piece of advice with them, maybe before they came in to see you, or just something that you would like them to take away from this conversation, what would that be?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: I think a big thing is to be patient, knowing that this is something that can last for either months or years. And then, also having those more serious warning signs kind in the back of your mind, and when to seek care. But also, the reassurance that it's a benign condition that will eventually go away.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Well, that was very helpful. Thank you so much for your time today, Dr. Suhrsted. I really appreciate it.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Glad for the opportunity.
Prakash Chandran: To find out more information about our General Pediatrics Program, please call 859-323-6211 or visit our website at ukhealthcare.uky.edu and search general pediatrics. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for checking out this episode of UK HealthCast by UK HealthCare. I'm Prakash Chandran. Stay well.
Prakash Chandran: Growing pains is a term that many of us have heard growing up. It's used to describe deep aches in a child's body, often when trying to fall asleep at night. But is this pain actually caused by the child's growth or something else? We're going to learn more about it today with Dr. Trey Trey Suhrstedt, a pediatrician for Kentucky Children's Hospital.
Intro: Another informational resource from UK Healthcare, this is UK HealthCast featuring conversations with our physicians and other healthcare providers
Prakash Chandran: Welcome to UK HealthCast, a podcast by UK HealthCare. I'm your host, Prakash Chandran. So Dr. Suhrstedt, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you joining us today. You know, I gave a loose explanation up at the top. But broadly speaking, I'd love for you to describe to us what are growing pains and what exactly causes them.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Sure. So, if we think about the term growing pains, that's actually been around since the early 1800s. And since it first appeared, there's been a lot of different diagnostic criteria and definitions. And unfortunately, the lack of concise terminology and definitions has led to some ambiguity about what they actually are and what causes them. Some other terms that have been used in the past include idiopathic nocturnal pains of childhood and also recurrent limb pains of childhood. Typically, the diagnosis of growing pains will be a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that it's only made after you eliminate other identifiable, potentially more serious cause to the pain.
And as far as what causes them, we're really not entirely sure. So, multiple etiologies and pathologies have been proposed throughout the years, including a type of bone stress injury from either overload or overuse, the actual literal physical growing and lengthening of those long bones, also muscle fatigue after long and intense activity. But within what available research there is, the most commonly identifiable potential causes, include a family history of growing pains, kids with a lower pain threshold, improper posture, some decreased bone strength or low vitamin D levels. But none of those have been reliably proven as a specific cause. And although these do occur in growing children, they're not common during periods of peak growth. They don't occur at the growth plates. And thankfully, they shouldn't have any long-term effects on any kids.
Prakash Chandran: Yeah, that's really good to hear. So, it definitely sounds like there's no direct correlation here. So I guess, let me ask it another way. How common are growing pains in children?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, they're actually one of the most common reasons for children seeking medical care for a musculoskeletal issue. And depending on the specific age that you look at, up to one-third of kids may experience growing pains at some point.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. And I'm curious like what ages are usually affected by growing pains?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: There is a pretty wide range and some variability in the age of onset. Specifically, you would think between age three and 12. But within that, usually on the earlier side, so you're thinking more preschool, elementary, school-aged kids would be the ones that you would think about as to having growing pains. These can be short lived, but they can last for years even into adolescence.
Prakash Chandran: Talk to us a little bit about what children go through when they are having growing pains and like when does it represent. One of the things that I've heard is that it kind of comes on at night. Talk to us a little bit about what kids experience.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Yeah. So as far as symptoms and what they'll either tell their parents or what will be brought to the attention of the pediatrician is more of a vague type of pain, rather than any kind of specific or discreet pain. There's likely not going to be any identifiable injuries or trauma preceding the onset of their symptoms. It will be most likely to occur in the evening or early night. It can last a few minutes, maybe a few hours, even can sometimes wake up kids from sleep, but it should be gone by the morning. You think of it as persistent, often occurring daily or most days of the week, but you will have some symptom-free days in between. So, it's not going to be severe enough to cause any limping or interference with daily activities or prevent them from participating in any recreational activities or sports. And up to a third of kids can also have associated headaches and abdominal pain with them.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Yeah, I was just going to ask about the body parts that are most usually effective. So if a child is going through this or experiencing this, what is usually affected?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, it can affect pretty much anywhere in the body. But most commonly, it will affect the legs, particularly more so around the knees and the shins. Most commonly will be bilaterally, but can affect one side or the other. And it's not going to be localized to a specific joint or joints.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Understood. So, I think as a parent, when I think about this, you know, I have a young daughter and son, they haven't experienced this yet, but I can imagine when they start to experience this, I'm going to be like, "What should I do? And are there any treatments available?" Can you speak to that a little bit?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, there isn't any specific treatment just because at this point, we don't know the exact cause or mechanism for the pain, but there are some things that can provide some symptomatic relief, even if only temporary. So, things that we recommend would be for the kids to participate in a wide variety of exercises and not focusing on any one particular activity or sport. Getting adequate rest is important, especially getting enough sleep at night. Other things you could try would be a warm bath or massage, sometimes ice packs can help. And then, you can also use appropriate weight-based acetaminophen or ibuprofen, either intermittently or prophylactically if it becomes a more common problem.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. So from what I'm hearing from you, this is usually something that potentially can be waited out a little bit and you can take some over-the-counter to get some relief. At what point should a parent be concerned about growing pains?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: So, things that would say maybe it's something else other than just growing pains and they should seek care for, would be any severe pains, any joint that's swollen, warm, or has any kind of overlying redness to it, any noticeable deformity or anything that's looking asymmetric from the other side, if the child is limping or has any pain that interferes with her daily activity; pain that is accompanied by fevers, especially outside of any normal, cold or other illnesses. And if there's any associated rash or other skin changes, any of those could indicate that it's something that would need to be evaluated.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. That helps a lot. And so, obviously, you've been a pediatrician for a while now. And I know a lot of parents are going to be listening to this, maybe their children are experiencing growing pains. If you could share one piece of advice with them, maybe before they came in to see you, or just something that you would like them to take away from this conversation, what would that be?
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: I think a big thing is to be patient, knowing that this is something that can last for either months or years. And then, also having those more serious warning signs kind in the back of your mind, and when to seek care. But also, the reassurance that it's a benign condition that will eventually go away.
Prakash Chandran: Okay. Well, that was very helpful. Thank you so much for your time today, Dr. Suhrsted. I really appreciate it.
Dr. Trey Suhrstedt: Glad for the opportunity.
Prakash Chandran: To find out more information about our General Pediatrics Program, please call 859-323-6211 or visit our website at ukhealthcare.uky.edu and search general pediatrics. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for checking out this episode of UK HealthCast by UK HealthCare. I'm Prakash Chandran. Stay well.