Growing Pains
- PMID: 28177851
- PMCID: PMC5349398
- DOI: 10.1177/1941738117692533
Growing Pains
Abstract
Context: The term growing pains describes a common, benign syndrome of recurrent discomfort that occurs in young children. First described in the 1800s, the etiology of this condition remains unclear. The peak incidence does not correspond to a time of rapid growth. Children typically report bilateral pain in the lower extremities that occurs late in the day or at night.
Evidence acquisition: The PubMed database was searched using the keywords growing pains, benign nocturnal limb pains of childhood, recurrent limb pain of childhood, and limb pain in childhood. Articles were also found by reviewing references from the initial PubMed search. Only English-language articles published from 1900 through 2016 were included in the review.
Study design: Clinical review.
Level of evidence: Level 3.
Results: When a patient's history is classic for growing pains and physical examination is normal, laboratory and radiographic evaluation are not needed to make the diagnosis. Findings typical for growing pains include bilateral lower extremity pain usually experienced in the early evening or at night. The pain is not caused by activity and will not cause a limp.
Conclusion: Additional workup is warranted for children with an atypical history, systemic symptoms, or for those individuals with physical examination abnormalities such as allodynia, focal tenderness, joint swelling, or decreased joint range of motion. Management of growing pains generally consists of symptomatic care with massage and over-the-counter analgesics, as well as reassurance to children and parents about the benign, self-limited nature of this condition. This review article summarizes data on the epidemiology, etiology, and management of growing pains and provides a framework for distinguishing this entity from other causes of extremity pain.
Keywords: growing pains; musculoskeletal pain; pediatrics.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors report no potential conflicts of interest in the development and publication of this article.
Figures
Similar articles
-
[Growing pains are well-known, but the cause remains unclear].Ugeskr Laeger. 2017 Apr 17;179(16):V11160851. Ugeskr Laeger. 2017. PMID: 28416062 Review. Danish.
-
Growing pains: a noninflammatory pain syndrome of early childhood.Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2008 Oct;4(10):542-9. doi: 10.1038/ncprheum0903. Epub 2008 Sep 2. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2008. PMID: 18762787 Review.
-
Growing pains: a study of 30 cases and a review of the literature.J Pediatr Orthop. 2011 Jul-Aug;31(5):606-9. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0b013e318220ba5e. J Pediatr Orthop. 2011. PMID: 21654473
-
Growing pains: What do we know about etiology? A systematic review.World J Orthop. 2019 Apr 18;10(4):192-205. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v10.i4.192. eCollection 2019 Apr 18. World J Orthop. 2019. PMID: 31041161 Free PMC article.
-
[Growing Pains : Cause, Significance and Treatment].Orthopade. 2019 Jun;48(6):461-468. doi: 10.1007/s00132-019-03745-2. Orthopade. 2019. PMID: 31168737 Review. German.
Cited by
-
Growing pains in Danish preschool children: a descriptive study.Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 17;14(1):3956. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-54570-3. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 38368453 Free PMC article.
-
Associations between pain, health, and lifestyle factors in 10-year-old boys and girls from a Swedish birth cohort.BMC Pediatr. 2023 Jun 29;23(1):328. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04139-2. BMC Pediatr. 2023. PMID: 37386396 Free PMC article.
-
Expressed Beliefs about the Cause of Pain in a Pediatric Population: A Qualitative Study.Children (Basel). 2023 Jun 2;10(6):1007. doi: 10.3390/children10061007. Children (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37371238 Free PMC article.
-
Recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Fabry disease in pediatric patients: a document from the Rare Diseases Committee of the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (Comdora-SBN).J Bras Nefrol. 2022 Apr-Jun;44(2):268-280. doi: 10.1590/2175-8239-JBN-2021-0216. J Bras Nefrol. 2022. PMID: 35238862 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Application of bone metabolic parameters in the diagnosis of growing pains.J Clin Lab Anal. 2022 Feb;36(2):e24184. doi: 10.1002/jcla.24184. Epub 2021 Dec 24. J Clin Lab Anal. 2022. PMID: 34952997 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Al-Khattat A, Campbell J. Recurrent limb pain in childhood (‘growing pains’). Foot. 2000;10:117-123.
-
- Baxter MP, Dulberg C. “Growing pains” in childhood—a proposal for treatment. J Pediatr Orthop. 1988;8:402-406. - PubMed
-
- Champion D, Pathirana S, Flynn C, et al. Growing pains: twin family study evidence for genetic susceptibility and a genetic relationship with restless legs syndrome. Eur J Pain. 2012;16:1224-1231. - PubMed
-
- Duchamp M. Maladies De La Croissance. Paris, France: Chez l’Auteur; 1823.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials