Children feel growing pains mostly in their legs. The fronts of the thighs, behind the knees and in the calves are common places for growing pain. The pain is usually felt towards the end of the day and during the first hours of sleep at night. It is not known what exactly causes growing pains, but your child's normal daily activity does not contribute to the severity or frequency of such pain. Twenty-five to forty percent of children experience growing pains and healthiness is not a factor. A study has found that children who experience growing pains tend to be five percent heavier than children who do not.
If your child complains about chronic leg pain, it could be from growing pains, or from a number of other causes. Restless Leg Syndrome accompanied by pain in the extremities can point to a fracture, an infection, a tumour, or even juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is up to a doctor to diagnose the symptoms properly. Typically, growing pains do not last longer than 15 minutes per spell. There should not be redness, swelling of the joints, or fever associated with the pain. Growing pains are felt deep inside the muscles, not the joints.
Indications that your child is suffering from pain caused by something more serious than growing pains, include:
Severe pain coming from one source that causes your child to routinely wake up in the night
Your child has a fever along with the pain, but is not suffering from flu
Your child experiences pain from a swollen joint and has trouble moving that joint
Your child has pain in one thigh, hip or knee and limps as a result
The pain is present during the day as well as the night