Growing pains question? | Arthritis Information

 

Baby girls having terrible leg pains. She had been doing alot better than she used to. Less frequency. She said her legs hurt at bed time and was wimpering. She woke up at two a.m. and was really crying very loudly. She must have said my legs hurt fifty times. We gave her some tylonol and about an hour and a half later she went to bed. I believe it is her achilles tendon area. She is so tiny for her age she grows slower than most kids. I have never seen any swelling. She is eight. I remember when she was five her arms woke her up at night. Of course most of the time she complains when she is awake. How long do growing pains last? I mean a bout of them. A few hours or days? I guess it is she seemed more miserable than usual. I will see what tomorrow brings.She seems to get them bylaterally. Always arms or legs. Never just my arm or just my leg?I had horrible "growing pains" when I was little. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and my Mother would iron a towel or small blanket and wrap them around my legs. The doctors just called them "growing pains". I was not dx'ed with RA until my early twenties.

I guess it doesn't matter now.....but it sure would explain my "growing pains" although I don't mean to suggest tht all growing pains are only related to RA because they are common with all children as they go through growth spirts.

I can't remember how long they lasted. They came and went at different stages of growth I suppose. It wasn't constant.....but it did continue as I got older.

I hope she feels better soon. I know how helpless it feels when you have a little one in pain and can't do much to help them. A small heated throw blanket would be soothing during those times....but I wouldn't let her sleep with it on. I don't have any answers but my son is 5 years old and complains of leg pain a lot.  He is growing like crazy so my husband and everyone says it is growing pains but it makes me nervous, how do you really know?My little one went through a problem with growing pains.  We took him to the doctor a couple times for it, and we were just told to give him ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the pain as needed.  Eventually it stopped.  This happened when he was about 7; it lasted for about a year.

I vaguely remember my little sister whining about leg pain when we were kids.  My parents said it was just growing pains.  I always thought she was just making it up to get attention. The only way to know whether a child’s evening and/or nighttime leg/arm pain is benign is to have an evaluation done by their health care provider. Usually, the diagnosis is based on “typical symptoms”: bilateral pain, dissipated by morning, no limitation of daytime activity such as stiffness, limp, or other gait changes.

When a child presents with recurring pain in one extremity and daytime limitations alternative diagnostic tests, such as laboratory or x-rays, are sometimes ordered to compliment physical examination

At least in this locale, pædiatricians recommend a series of stretching exercises for all extremities tailored to each child. However, to be effective the exercises need to be done daily even during times of quiescence.

There is an article >>here<< that discusses and describes growing pains in a rational and reasonable manner. Poor baby girl!  I remember my grandmother fixing me a warm bath for growing pains.  I am sorry Milly, I hope you can figure this out soon so you can all sleep well!  Maybe a preventative?  IDK what that would be... something soothing and relaxing before bedtime maybe.

That is an interesting article Shug, curious that tie to migraines as well as the one between hypermobility and fibromyalgia.  Who knew?  A lack of sleep or sleep disturbance can bring on a migraine for me, so it stands to reason if growing pains keep little ones up, headaches are more likely.  One thing for sure, it ain't just your grandma's growing pains anymore! My son was really freaking out. He was sure it fibro. Her mother said it was just growing pains she had them also as a child. Both of her grandmothers have fibro and RA. So the odds are stacked against her. She is a very active child. Spelunker thanks for the link my son was doing research today. He says thanks also.

Only one of my children complained of them- my middle son. He would wake in the night with terrible pain. It was both legs- shin area. We used to put him in a hot bath or use mineral ice on them. It always worried me too. I didn't know about RA or anything then- I feared cancer of the bones. The doctor always told me they were growing pains. It never seemed like he was doing any fast growing....

LOL If it had been her arms I would have understood. She puts on a sweater and puts her arms out to the side and slides down stairs on the hand railing. She has to pick her legs up. She is so tiny that she can do this.Bless, its rotten for them, my son was a slow grower too. When he suffered from growing pains it was normally in his arms and legs (very rarely at the same time). He's 19 and still growing and still gets really achy knees/shins/muscles. I used to give him a rough rub followed by a soothing rub when he was smaller.... of course at 19 he thinks its weird I give him a massage!I was a really small child as well. All 3 of my kids had growing pains.. We have had patients with Osgood Schlatter in for physical therapy and it helped them alot.
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