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Growing pains: contemporary knowledge and recommended practice

Angela M Evans1

  • 1School of Health Science, Division of Health Science, University of South Australia, City East Campus, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000, Australia. angela.evans@unisa.edu.au.

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research
|September 30, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Growing pains are common in children but often poorly managed. Evidence-based treatments and diagnostic criteria exist, yet research continues to improve care for this frequent childhood complaint.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Leg pain in children, commonly termed growing pains, is a frequent clinical presentation.
  • Despite being described since 1823, growing pains continue to puzzle healthcare professionals.
  • Established diagnostic criteria and evidence-based treatments for growing pains are available.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the existing medical literature on growing pains in children.
  • To assess the quality of evidence and identify gaps in the understanding and management of growing pains.

Main Methods:

  • An exhaustive search of English-language medical literature was conducted.
  • Articles pertaining to leg pains in children attributed to 'growing pains' were identified.
  • 45 articles were screened, yielding 22 original studies and 23 review articles for analysis.

Main Results:

  • The literature is extensive but often lacks scientific rigor, relying on opinion and anecdote.
  • Only one small, non-blinded randomized controlled trial on leg muscle stretching for growing pains was found.
  • Prevalence studies showed disparate estimates, and various cohort studies investigated pain attributes.

Conclusions:

  • Growing pains are prevalent in young children and frequently encountered in healthcare settings.
  • Current management of growing pains in healthcare is often inadequate.
  • Further research is needed to improve the acknowledgment and management of this common childhood complaint.
Abstract

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