OT: Help ! Need Advice. Can a 4 year old still be suffering "growing pains" !

[drakethib]

My little one all of a sudden says her legs are hurting.

She woke up crying asking us to rub them.

Please advise if you can. we are a little nervous.

Thanks

 

[NWOhioAngela]

Stop worrying. It's normal. My kids went through the same thing, and yes, it is literally growing pains.

www.mayoclinic.com/health/growing-pains/DS00888

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/aches/growing_pains.html

 

[drakethib]

Stop worrying. It's normal. My kids went through the same thing, and yes, it is literally growing pains.

www.mayoclinic.com/health/growing-pains/DS00888

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/aches/growing_pains.html

Thanks Angela.

Little girl tears make Daddy have tears.

 

[Tonya2426]

Poor little thing!!! I suffered from achy legs until I was about 12. It runs in my family - my mother had the same thing also but stangely my sister didn't suffer from it.

Mostly I would take some asprin (of course now children don't take asprin - so I would recommend Tylenol), then elevate her legs while you rub them.

(This is of course not a medical opinion in anyway just my personal experience. So, if it gets increasingly worse, see a medical professional.)

 

[NWOhioAngela]

You know those links I posted say there is no proof that it's actual growing, but I remember way back in the day when my kids were kids, that's what the peds told us. Tylenol and a monitored use of a heating pad should help the poor thing. (Wouldn't hurt for mom and dad either!) I wonder if she's eating more too which is also an old school way of knowing your kid is about to go through a growth spurt

 

[miprender]

DS4 gets those in his feet. He wakes up screaming in the middle of the night and I have to rub them for a while.

It was happening alot and for a moment I thought maybe he broke his foot, but they have subsided and my Pedi told me yes it was just growing pains.

Poor little things.... it is just so sad to see them in pain.

 

[graceesmom]

I had it through my entire teens -- and my mom always said it was growing pains although I'm not sure I grew much taller after around age 13-14. As an adult, I still occasionally get night time leg cramps which I've read could be partly due to low potassium. If your son likes bananas, it might be worth a shot at letting him have a banana (high in potassium) a few days a week to see if that helps.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Wow, I have never heard of this before. I guess you learn something new everyday!

 

[spaddy]

My son gets leg cramps when he has very active days. I don't know if this counts as "growing pains", but I find Motrin works well.

It is very hard to hear your little one screaming in the middle of the night.

 

[dayzemair]

I just wanted to add reassurance. I had achy legs and knees all growing up and now my 3 year old has them too and has had it since she was about 1 and a half and I was told that she was too young to have them by my pedi and then a year later we got a different pedi and he said she certainly could be having them at that age, its rarer but still happens. I actually still get some pains in my legs when I am over tired and my dad does too so maybe its not necessarily growing pains, but just when you get too tired. My daughter will spend a good 3 or 4 hours fussing at night and we usually end up giving her Tylenol to help her sleep because it usually only happens like once a month.
If it gets a lot worse and she starts having other symptoms along with it, definitely get to the pedi though.

 

[dana1003]

my 5 year olds get them all the time..on their sides, shins, calves, etc..i rub them a little and then their off playing again..

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

All 3 of my cousins kids had this. I think it is pretty normal.

 

[JFrey4240]

This happened to my daughter around that age and even for years after. She'd wake up in the middle of the night crying that her legs hurt. I'd rub them for a bit and then she'd fall back asleep. Then a few weeks later her pants would be too short.

 

[DisneyBabies]

My DS is 5 and has had these pains for a couple of years and DD is 3 and has had a couple of episodes so far. We now call them "night pains" because when we called them "growing pains" DS started telling us he didn't want to grow up anymore . The pediatrician has said it is completely normal and as others have said, give motrin (works better for aches) and use massage and heating pads. We have these great heating pads here at home that you put in the microwave for a few seconds to heat up a little so we don't need to worry about an electric heating pad since those aren't as safe for little ones.

Our pediatrician also told us that parents who had severe growing pains when growing up were more likely to have children who also have severe growing pains. Too bad for my kids, DH and I both had severe growing pains .

 

[dmccarty]

I had growing pains until my teens. It was not fun. The doc gave us some serious pain killer. No over the counter stuff for me.

If you get muscle pain after a day of working/playing hard potassium does help. Bananas can do wonders. I think OJ is high in potassium as are sports drinks. If its a very hot day and you or the kids are outside sweating alot replacing potassium can stop/minimize cramps.

Later,
Dan

 

[Michele]

My youngest had those pains in his legs too. Still does, although they have started to taper off....for now, and he's 14. They would keep him from getting to sleep and I would have to rub his shins and calves, but they didn't wake him up at night.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

I remember them as a child and now my kids get them. Usually after an active day. I use motrin, then push bananas, OJ for a few days. Massage and a warm bath have also helped. I think the best cure is snuggling with mom and dad! Good luck!