Growing pains in children
2007

Understanding Growing Pains in Children

Sample size: 44 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Uziel Yosef, Hashkes Philip J

Primary Institution: Meir Medical Center, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Hypothesis

The pain threshold in children with growing pains is lower compared to controls.

Conclusion

Growing pains are common in children and usually resolve by late childhood without serious underlying conditions.

Supporting Evidence

  • Growing pains are the most common form of episodic childhood musculoskeletal pain.
  • The prevalence of growing pains ranges from 3-37% in children.
  • Children with growing pains have a decreased pain threshold compared to controls.
  • Bone strength density in children with growing pains is significantly less than healthy norms.

Takeaway

Growing pains are when kids feel leg pain at night, but it’s usually not serious and goes away by morning.

Methodology

The study assessed pain thresholds using a dolorimeter and measured bone strength using ultrasound.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in parental reporting of children's pain and psychological factors.

Limitations

The etiology of growing pains is still unclear, and the study had a relatively small sample size.

Participant Demographics

Children aged 3-12 years with reported episodes of growing pains.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1546-0096-5-5

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