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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffYour 8-year-old daughter can't fall asleep because her legs hurt. Your friend's 6-year-old son wakes up in tears with the same complaint. Coincidence?
Probably not. Some children experience occasional nighttime leg pain without an apparent cause — often called growing pains.
Growing pains aren't a disease. In fact, the term "growing pains" may be a misnomer because there's no evidence that growth hurts. Still, growing pains are real for many kids. And it's important to take your child's complaints seriously. Occasionally, what seems like growing pains are really due to an underlying condition that can be treated.
Growing pains typically end by the teen years. In the meantime, simple comfort measures can help your child make it through the night.
- Lehman TJA, et al. Growing pains. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 15, 2008.
- Restless legs syndrome fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/detail_restless_legs.htm?css=print. Accessed Aug. 15, 2008.
- Stewart ST. Orthopedic injuries and growing pains. In: Berkowtiz CD. Berkowitz's Pediatrics: A Primary Care Approach. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2008:547-553.
