Growing Pains

Many children will tell their parents that they have aches and pains in different parts of their body. Kids are very active and as a result they can end up with a lot of bumps and bruises. As a result, a lot of people will pass off a child’s pain as being nothing more than “being a kid.” There is an actual condition though that is known as growing pains.

Growing pains is a pretty nondescript term that actually refers to several different forms. In some cases, children may have pain at night in their thighs, but it does not cause them to wake up at night. Another form may occur in the knees or the ankles. They can also experience pain right before bed time. At its worst though, sometimes pain can occur in the legs and feet and the child can wake up crying at night. This can be mistaken for night terrors.

The most important thing to remember in all of these varieties of growing pains is that you need to listen to children. Although it can be difficult to determine the source of the pain or the amount, there are a couple of conditions that present with similar characteristics but are more severe including arthritis.

If it is determined that your child is suffering from growing pains, there are a few treatments that can be considered. These include warm compresses to help with the pain, pain killers that are prescribed by your podiatrist, pain relief creams and showing your child a lot of love and consoling.

If you have a child who is suffering from pain in any of their lower extremity joints, and live in the Methuen, North Andover, Lowell or Bradford, Massachusetts area, our office staff would be more than happy to help you set up an appointment.