Our 2 1/2 year old often wakes crying with pain in her legs. I put it down to growing pains but when we took her to the doctor to get her checked out he said there is no such thing as growing pains it is a term used by previous

generations for aches and pains that couldn't be explained. He has suggest we go back for an ultra sound in 6 weeks if it doesn't improve but thought I would ask if anyone else's child has had anything similar. She has been getting this on and off for at least a year but it seems to becoming more frequent now. Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated

Children's bodies go through so many changes so quickly, that new things seem to pop up every day. Although most doctors agree that 'growing pains' as a diagnosis is a misnomer, they cannot deny that there are common pains in the legs that many children experience betwen the ages of 3-5 and again in adolescence or pre-adolescence, years when kids seem to be growing the most.

Although these pains are not in the bones, but occur in the muscles, they may or may not be related to a growth spurt. Body systems grow at slightly different rates. The muscles or tendons may still be a little too tight for the growing long bones. Many children who suffer from benign growing pains are unable to touch their toes with their fingertips without bending their knees. Also, kids are extremely active at these ages. If they have been running on hard earth or pavement or doing a lot of jumping on a hard surface, pain may occur that evening as a result. Extreme activity may also cause muscle fatigue which may spur small muscle spasms lasting from 1 to 15 minutes that can be painful. One study has also suggested that these pains are the childhood equivalent of a migrane. All of these things happen intermittently and usually occur in the evening and are gone by morning.

Some symptoms of growing pains are:

• Occurs in children ages 3 to 12 years of age.
  
• Pain usually occurs in the legs, especially thighs and calves, affecting both legs, but may affect one leg at a time and vary which leg or part of the leg is affected. Pain in the arms is less common, but may occur in conjunction with leg pain.
  
• Pain occurs almost exclusively in the evenings and night time, often causing awakening during the night.
  
• Pain does not occur consistently during daytime activities or interfere with usual playground, recreational or sports activities. However, children may complain more frequently in the evenings or nights following days during which they are very active.
  
• Pain may occur for months or years, as frequently as almost every night, often with symptom free intervals of weeks or months. Symptoms may wax and wane but usually remain stable with time. Most children outgrow growing pains within several years.
  
• Physical exam is normal. Xrays and lab tests, although usually not needed, are also normal.

Some things you can do to make the child feel better:

• During a pain episode, stretching the foot and toes upward will often resolve the muscle spasm. Gentle massage and moist heat over the painful spot can also help.
• Many times the pain can be prevented with simple, daily stretching exercises. These exercises must be continued even after the pain subsides in order to keep the muscles and tendons relaxed and able to accommodate the next growth spurt.
• Ibuprophen or Acetomenaphin can help. Aspirin should be avoided in young children because of Reyes syndrome.
• Make sure your child is getting enough calcium, iron and potassium. This can help avoid any cramping associated with the pains.
• Some physicians recommend giving a glass of tonic water (quinine) before bed. The effectiveness of this is undetermined, but it might help and wouldn't hurt. Plenty of fluids should also make cramping less likely.

These symptoms are not growing pains and should be referred to a doctor:

• If it happens every night it may be due to restless legs syndrome (RLS), a condition in which your legs feel extremely uncomfortable while you're sitting or lying down.
• Swollen joints which are fiery to the touch or red and tender
• Movement increases the pain
• Touch increases the pain
• Fever
• Unexplained rash
• persistent pain, pain worsening over time, pain in the morning
• pain associated with a particular injury
• limping
• loss of appetite, weight loss
  
• weakness
• tiredness
• uncharacteristic behavior
• restricted motion or pain interfering with daytime activities

Pain may be associated with something as easy to deal with as ill-fitting shoes or flat feet or as complicated as childhood arthritis. As always, when in doubt, check it out!