Differentiation from a tumor | Growth pains

Differentiation from a tumor

It is important to distinguish the harmless growth pain from malignant bone tumors. Because bone tumors can cause similar complaints in the bones as the growth of children. If growth pain is to be clarified by the physician, always only different causes are excluded such as a malicious bone tumor, a rheumatism tables illness or a bone inflammation, before then on growth pain is closed.

It concerns therefore with the growth pain an exclusion diagnosis. Bone pain can be caused, for example, by the so-called Ewing sarcoma, a malignant bone tumor. However, in contrast to harmless growth pain, bone tumor pain is often accompanied by swelling.

Another important distinguishing feature is that the pain mainly occurs during physical activity and subsides at night. Especially tumors in the area of the thigh, in contrast to tumors in the spine, remain unnoticed for a long time. In an advanced stage, they are often accompanied by a general feeling of illness, fatigue, fever and weight loss.

Bone tumors, just like growth pains, usually occur in the growing age. Especially if the pain is only one-sided, a malignant cause should be clarified. An osteoid osteoma is a benign tumor of the bone.

It occurs more frequently in men than in women and has its peak age between 11 and 20 years. The bone tumor develops mainly on the long tubular bones of the body, therefore the thigh bone and the lower leg bone are most frequently affected. The new formation of bone cells leads to an ulcer, which can cause pain. Due to the localization and the typical occurrence in adolescence, the complaints can be confused with growth pains. However, the disease can be diagnosed by a simple X-ray examination.

Summary

In summary, the growth pain has a very good prognosis and disappears during childhood. Characteristic of growth pain is pain in childhood between the ages of four and eighteen years, localization in the lower limbs and occurrence of pain in the evening and night hours. It is important, however, that it is a diagnosis of exclusion, whereby no serious illness should be overlooked or a misdiagnosis made.

This makes it all the more important that the patient is carefully questioned and physically examined. Furthermore, the cause of the growth pain is very controversial and unclear. Heat pads, massages and parental care are suitable for alleviating the pain. If the pain is severe, paracetamol or ibuprofen can be given in juice or suppository form.