Growing Pains in Children: Symptoms, Night Leg Pain, and What Helped
This past week, Lewis has been struggling with what seemed to be growing pains in his legs, particularly during the evening and at night. If you have ever had a child wake up crying with aching legs or pain behind their knees, you will know just how upsetting it can be as a parent.
Although growing pains are very common in children, it is still hard watching your child uncomfortable and knowing there is no instant way to fix it. All I wanted to do was take the pain away for him.
The Symptoms Experienced
The pain mainly affected his thighs and behind his knees. At times, it became uncomfortable enough to wake him from sleep during the night. He would wake up sore and restless, trying to get comfortable again.
What worried me most was how unlike himself he became.
Lewis is normally full of energy and constantly on the go, so seeing him lying still on the sofa wanting to rest was very unusual. He kept saying his legs hurt and seemed reluctant to move around too much because it made the aching feel worse.
Thankfully, he did not have any swelling, redness, fever, or limping during the day, which reassured me somewhat while I was trying to figure out whether it was simply growing pains or something more serious.
What Helped Ease the Growing Pains
Over the week, we tried a few simple things at home to help make him more comfortable and ease the pain in his legs.
Warmth on His Legs
One of the things that seemed to help most was placing a hot water bottle on his thighs. The warmth appeared to relax the muscles and soothe some of the aching.
Gentle Leg Massage
We also gently rubbed and massaged his legs, especially around the areas he said hurt the most. This seemed comforting, particularly before bedtime.
Stretching and Walking Around
Although he mostly wanted to stay curled up on the sofa, we encouraged him to gently walk around and stretch his legs every now and then rather than staying completely still for long periods.
Pain Relief
When the pain became more uncomfortable, we gave him ibuprofen to help ease it, especially during the night when it was disturbing his sleep.
After several days of rest, he slowly returned to his usual energetic self again, although I am still encouraging him to take things easy for a little while longer. With a ten year old boy, that is definitely easier said than done.
What Are Growing Pains?
At the time, I found myself searching online for reassurance because I wanted to better understand what growing pains actually were.
Growing pains are common in children and tend to occur most often between the ages of around 3 to 5 and again between 8 to 12 years old. The pain usually affects the muscles rather than the bones themselves and commonly appears in the thighs, calves, or behind the knees.
Many children experience the pain in both legs.
Although nobody knows the exact cause, some doctors believe growing pains may be linked to muscle fatigue after active days filled with running, climbing, jumping, and playing.
One thing I found particularly interesting was how often growing pains appear during the evening or nighttime. Many children seem completely fine during the day but then complain of aching legs before bed or wake up during the night in pain. In most cases, the pain is gone again by morning.
When to Speak to a Doctor
Although growing pains are very common, it is always important to trust your instincts as a parent.
If your child has swelling, redness, fever, limping, pain in only one leg, pain that continues during the day, or symptoms that seem severe or unusual, it is always worth seeking medical advice to rule out other causes.
Looking Back
As difficult as it was seeing Lewis uncomfortable, I was relieved once he started feeling more like himself again. It is amazing how quiet the house suddenly feels when one of your normally energetic children slows down and just wants to rest.
I think one of the hardest parts of parenting is seeing your child hurting and wishing you could simply make it disappear. Thankfully, in our case, plenty of rest, warmth, reassurance, and time seemed to help him through it.
Have your children ever experienced growing pains at night? I would love to hear what helped them feel more comfortable.
FAQ Section
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Yes, they definitely can. Lewis would often wake up complaining that his legs hurt, especially around his thighs and behind his knees. From what I have since read, growing pains commonly appear during the evening or nighttime and can sometimes disturb sleep.
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Growing pains are most commonly felt in the thighs, calves, or behind the knees. In our case, Lewis mainly complained about aching in his thighs and pain behind his knees.
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What seemed to help most for us was warmth, gentle leg massages, rest, stretching his legs lightly, and giving ibuprofen when needed. A hot water bottle on his thighs was especially comforting before bed.
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Yes, growing pains are very common in children, particularly between the ages of around 3 to 5 and 8 to 12. Although they can be painful and worrying to witness as a parent, they are usually harmless and tend to improve with time.
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Although growing pains are common, it is always worth seeking medical advice if your child has swelling, redness, fever, limping, pain in only one leg, or symptoms that continue during the daytime. Trusting your instincts as a parent is important.
Disclaimer:
This post is based on our personal experience with growing pains in children and is shared for informational purposes only. I am not a medical professional, and this content should not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are worried about your child’s symptoms, or if they experience swelling, fever, limping, severe pain, or symptoms that persist, please seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional.