Growing Pains

What are growing pains?

Growing pains are muscle aches and pain that often^{1, 2}:

• Affect both legs. Sometimes arms may ache too.

• Do not involve the bones or joints

• Can be mild or severe

• Can cause a child to wake up during the night

• Are gone by morning

• Don’t happen every day. There can be days, weeks, or months between episodes

What causes growing pains?³

Despite the name, growing pains aren’t actually caused by your child growing. Pediatricians aren’t sure what causes them, but one idea is that growing pains may occur after children play or exercise harder than usual. They don’t feel pain when doing the activity, but might feel pain or soreness later.

Who gets growing pains?^1,2

• Growing pains are common, but not all kids get them

• They usually occur between ages 3 and 12

• A child may have them off and on over months or years

• They tend to stop by the teen years

How can I ease my child’s growing pains?³

• Gently massage their legs if growing pains are bothering them

• A warm bath before bed may help soothe their muscles

• Call for rest breaks when your child is playing hard

When to call your doctor about growing pains³

• Pain is severe

• A muscle lump does not go away

• Your child is limping

• Urine is dark, especially after exercise

• Swelling doesn’t decrease or gets worse after 24 hours.

• Redness or warmer skin around the muscle

• Fever occurs

TYLENOL® and MOTRIN® are two over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers available. Use products only as directed and talk to your doctor about whether these medicines are right for your child’s specific pain.