Definition
Growth pain is the term used to describe pain occurring mainly in the lower limbs during the growth phase between the ages of four and eighteen. Growth pain typically occurs in the evening and at night. The pain is usually brief and subsides on its own.
The growth pain is not due to any injury or illness. It is a diagnosis through exclusion procedures. The cause of the growth pain is still unclear and controversial among doctors.
Symptoms
Patients are particularly reported to have deep pain in the calves, knees, shin and thighs. In some cases the pain even occurs in the arms. The pain is characterized very differently as dull, stabbing, burning or even as cramping.
In addition, the pain is usually bilateral in the leg change, but unlocalized. The pain often moves from top to bottom or changes sides. The pain can also occur especially in the evening hours after a day of high physical strain.
However, the pain never occurs during physical exertion. The pain occurs mainly in the evening hours and at night, whereas during the day the pain would not occur. In addition, there is no further restriction of movement during the day, and it is typical that the pain is “blown away” the next morning.
The pain is so strong and sudden that the affected children wake up from their sleep. However, the pain subsides on its own, but can last from minutes to hours. Short-term relief is provided by heat or cold in the affected areas and massages.
In some children, a correlation with frequent stomach and headaches is striking. The physical examination does not reveal any evidence of other clinical pictures or other abnormalities. The physical development of the children proceeds according to their age, but the pain can persist for years.
Also typical for growth pain is the irregular occurrence, whereby days, weeks or even years can lie between the stages of pain. On average, however, the pain occurs every half year. As the patient grows older, the growth pain disappears completely.
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