Don’t panic if your child cries out in pain! The truth behind growing pains

Author: Mao Fei, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University

Reviewer: Zhu Jiaojiao, deputy chief nurse, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University

As a parent, when you hear your child crying out in pain, you can't help but get nervous and anxious. Especially when children are in the growth and development stage, they often suffer from a common pain - growing pains, which makes parents even more worried. So, what are growing pains? How can parents help their children relieve this pain? Today, let's reveal the secrets of growing pains and share some tips to relieve growing pains!

What are growing pains?

Growing pains are a physiological phenomenon unique to childhood, and are physiological pains that occur during a child's growth and development. They usually manifest as intermittent lower limb pain, often occurring in the knee joints, calves, and thighs.

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What are the causes of growing pains?

The cause of growing pains is not yet fully understood, but it may be related to factors such as bone growth, muscle stretching, and nervous system development. In addition, if a child exercises too much or is calcium deficient, it may also induce or aggravate growing pains.

How to identify growing pains?

The main symptoms of growing pains are: 1. Mostly bilateral lower limb pain, and mainly muscle pain; 2. The location of pain is not fixed, usually concentrated near the knee joint and calf; 3. Mainly night pain; 4. Intermittent pain, which in most cases will ease on its own until it disappears.

However, growing pains cannot be diagnosed based on clinical manifestations alone. Clinically, other diseases must be ruled out before diagnosis can be made. Therefore, if parents find that their children have the above symptoms, they must take their children to a pediatrician in time to clarify the cause!

How to relieve growing pains?

1. Take adequate rest

Appropriately limit your child's activities during the day and avoid excessive exercise. Make sure your child gets enough sleep at night, as good sleep helps your child recover physically.

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2. Local massage

Use gentle massage techniques to massage the painful areas of your child, such as the knee joints and calves, to promote blood circulation and relieve pain. When massaging, you can use some special children's massage oil or lotion to make your child feel more comfortable.

3. Apply heat or cold

Hot compress: Use a hot towel or hot water bottle to apply to the painful area for 10 to 15 minutes each time to help relieve muscle tension.

Cold compress: For acute pain, you can use an ice pack or cold compress patch on the painful area for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

4. Enhance nutrition

Make sure your child has a balanced diet and eats more calcium-rich foods, such as milk, eggs, beans, etc. You can supplement vitamin D in moderation to help calcium absorption and utilization. It should be noted that if parents want their children to take calcium supplements or vitamin D supplements, they must follow the doctor's advice.

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5. Psychological comfort

When children experience growing pains, parents should try to comfort them with gentle words, telling them that growing pains are normal physiological phenomena and will not cause harm to the body. Parents should also divert children's attention by telling stories, playing games, etc., so that they can forget the pain.

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Kind tips:

Although growing pains are a normal physiological phenomenon in most cases, if the pain continues to worsen, even affecting the child's daily life or accompanied by other symptoms (such as fever, redness, swelling, etc.), it is recommended to seek medical attention in time to rule out the possibility of other diseases.

In addition, parents must always pay attention to their children's physical condition and understand their needs and concerns. When children encounter growing pains, parents must remain calm and patient, and accompany them through this troubled growth period with love and care. At the same time, they must also teach children how to face and deal with pain correctly, so that they can learn to love and take care of themselves.

Finally, I hope every child can grow up healthily and happily, away from the troubles of growing pains!