What are growing pains in children?
Growing pains are common in children between the ages of 3 and 14 and are a very annoying complaint. It is incredibly painful and can be a hindrance for your child while performing daily activities and sports. In this blog, we would like to provide you with additional information about growing pains and what you can do to support your child as much as possible.
What are growing pains?
Between the ages of 3 and 14, your child may experience growing pains. Your child is then in a growth spurt. Growing pains probably occur because your child suddenly grows fast during a growth spurt. Your child's bones then grow quite fast in a short period of time, but the muscles and tendons cannot keep up. This causes (temporary) muscle shortages.
Symptoms of growing pains
There are several symptoms that can occur when your child suffers from growing pains. We list some of them for you below:
- Pain in the knees and legs that comes on suddenly and lasts about 10 minutes to 15 minutes.
- This pain mainly comes on at night and disappears in the morning
- Pain in both legs
- Periods of very severe pain, but also prolonged and nagging at the same time
- Some children also get headaches and abdominal pain, are tired and have crying fits
- It often occurs in episodes. For example, your child may not have growing pains for a long time and then he or she may have them again for several weeks
How to treat growing pains
There are several things you can do that can help your child when suffering from growing pains. We list a few for you below.
- Massaging your child's legs can be very nice and take away most of the pain
- Taking hot showers can also provide relief.
- Does the pain persist? If so, give your child painkillers. Think of paracetamol.
- Medical taping: this is often used for Osgood-Schlatter. This is a condition that develops on the knee when your child suffers from growing pains.
- Muscle stretching exercises. Do exercises together with your child to stretch the muscles. This will almost certainly ease the symptoms
- Placing a cold cloth on the painful spot will also give a lot of relief. If swelling has occurred, then this will reduce the swelling. Furthermore, it is nice to reduce pain symptoms.
What products can you use when your child has growing pains?
There are a number of aids you can use to relieve your child's pain. We recommend wearing half gel insoles. This is especially recommended when Sever's disease is diagnosed. This is a condition that occurs in children between 7 and 15 years old. It involves pain and, in some cases, swelling. Wearing orthotics provides pain relief and extra cushioning at the heel.
Want to buy a children's brace?
For the right aids to support children with growing pains, you have come to the right place. We have different types of aids and children's support to eliminate pain and provide support for your child's symptoms. Do you have any questions about our products or their use? Then get in touch with our customer service team quickly. They use their expertise daily to answer all questions and provide everyone with the right information. They can be reached via email, live chat and phone.