Jump to content

Choose locationChoose Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Open I want to choose my medical group or hospital
    • Clear my location
Change Location

We've expanded your view

You are now viewing all services in the Sutter Health network. You can change your location above to narrow your view to a medical group, hospital, city or zip.
Sutter Health
  • Video Visits
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Treatments & Services
  • Locations
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Video Visits
    • Find Doctors
    • Find Locations
    • Treatments & Services
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Symptom Checker
    • Get Care Today
    • Diseases & Conditions
    • Health & Wellness
    • Classes & Events
    • Research & Clinical Trials
    • For Patients
    • About Sutter Health
    • Giving
    • Volunteering
    • Careers
    • News
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Other Business Services
Close Search
  • Home
  • Health and Wellness
  • Children's Health
  • Growing Pains in Children
Content

Growing Pains in Children

Find out what they are, who they impact and what to do about them.

Sally S. Harris, M.D., MPH

Contributor

Sally S. Harris, M.D., MPH

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Growing pains are just that – pain children experience as they grow. They occur in children ages 3 to 12, are harmless and do not affect the growth of children who have them. About 10 to 20 percent of growing children get growing pains, and they are somewhat more common in girls.

Mother
               measuring daughter's height

“Despite the name, growing pains do not occur during the time of most rapid growth, such as the adolescent growth spurt, or at specific sites of growth,” says Sally S. Harris, M.D., a pediatric sports medicine specialist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

About one-third of children with growing pains also experience other forms of recurring pain, such as headaches or stomach aches, she says.

Growing pains also have other characteristics:

  • The pain usually occurs in legs, especially thighs and calves. It may be in one or both legs, and may vary in location. Growing pains in arms is less common, but may occur in conjunction with leg pain.
  • Growing pains do not cause limping. Pain that is confined to a single joint – such as only the right knee – is not typical of growing pains and should be examined by a doctor.
  • The pain occurs almost exclusively in the evenings and at night, waking children up from their sleep. Children can usually fall back to sleep after being comforted with a massage, heating pad or after taking a mild non-prescription pain medication. Stretching the large muscle groups of the legs, such as the calves and thighs, can lessen symptoms, but may not be practical for young children.
  • Growing pains do not occur consistently during daytime or interfere with usual activities. However, children may complain more frequently in the evenings or nights following days during which they are very active. It’s common for children with growing pains to occasionally complain of pain during long walks or while standing for long periods of time. Sometimes they may even want to be carried.
  • Children may experience growing pains for months or years – as frequently as almost every night – but often there are symptom-free intervals of weeks or months. Symptoms may increase and decrease, but usually remain stable with time. Most children outgrow growing pains within several years.

If you want to relieve your child’s pain, you can briefly rub the area, use a heating pad if needed, and be reassuring, Dr. Harris says. But, be sure to “avoid giving medication or focusing undue attention on the issue that may promote attention-getting behaviors.”

A child with growing pains will have normal physical exam results, as well as X-rays and lab tests. But, if any of the following are present, causes other than growing pains should be evaluated:

  • Fever, weight loss and other symptoms of general illness
  • Pain specific to a single joint
  • Pain that worsens with time
  • Pain that interferes with usual daytime activities
  • Limping
  • Restricted motion, redness, swelling and/or warmth of the affected part

Related Articles

  • Are Kids Too Young to Travel?
  • When to Use Antibiotics
  • Questions About Teething?
  • Soothing Kids’ Seasonal Allergies
  • Backpack Too Heavy?
  • Start the School Year Right

More Resources

View Sutter's Drug Guide

Drug Guide

Look up prescription and over-the-counter drug information.

View Sutter's full medical library

Medical Library

Look up helpful health information.

View Sutter's full library of disease and conditions

Diseases and Conditions

See our full library of diseases and conditions.

View information for Sutter Health Patients

Patient Information

Practical info for Sutter patients.

Tools and Quizzes

Tools and Quizzes

Online tools to help you make decisions about your health.

The Sutter Health Network of Care
Expertise to fit your needs
Primary Care

Check-ups, screenings and sick visits for adults and children.

Specialty Care

Expertise and advanced technologies in all areas of medicine.

Emergency Care

For serious accidents, injuries and conditions that require immediate medical care.

Urgent Care

After-hours, weekend and holiday services.

Walk-In Care

Convenient walk-in care clinics for your non-urgent health needs.

About Sutter

  • About Our Network
  • Annual Report
  • Awards
  • Community Benefit
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Giving
  • Find Care

  • Birth Centers
  • Care Centers
  • Emergency Rooms
  • Hospitals
  • Imaging
  • Labs
  • Surgery Centers
  • Urgent Care
  • Walk-In Care
  • View All >
  • Featured Services

  • Behavioral Health
  • Cancer Services
  • Family Medicine
  • Home Health and Hospice
  • Orthopedics
  • Pediatrics
  • Pregnancy
  • Primary Care
  • Women's Health
  • View All >
  • Patient Resources

  • Accepted Health Plans
  • Classes and Events
  • Estimate Costs
  • Flu Resources
  • Health and Wellness
  • Medical Records
  • Medicare
  • My Health Online
  • Pay a Bill
  • Symptom Checker
  • Our Team

  • For Employees
  • Physician Careers
  • Recruiting Events
  • Sutter Careers
  • Vendors
  • Volunteers
    • ADA Accessibility
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

    • LinkedIn Opens new window
    • YouTube Opens new window
    • Facebook Opens new window
    • Twitter Opens new window
    • Glassdoor Opens new window
    • Instagram Opens new window

    Copyright © 2021 Sutter Health. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark office.

    Cookie Policy

    We use cookies to give you the best possible user experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences

    Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences