Growing Pains

Updated on August 23, 2007
K.B. asks from Cape Coral, FL
12 answers

my 2 year old daughter just woke up crying hysterically complaining that her leg hurt. My husband told me he thought it was just growing pains. Do children get growing pains? Is that what it was or do I need to be more concerned?

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So What Happened?

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. I gave her some tylonal and rubbed her legs until she fell asleep and that seemed to do the trick. Thanks to everyone for their remedies on the matter. It was truly appreciated. Thanks again :O)

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K.M.

answers from Melbourne on

Sounds like childrens arthritus, (not looking for attention), I had it when I was a kid, VERY VERY painful!!! Talk to her dr, but my mom used to give me childrens tylenol and a warm bath. Good luck!

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D.M.

answers from Melbourne on

My 6 year old son used to have this all of the time with his legs. All I did for him was massaged the leg until he was nearly asleep again. For awhile it happened fairly often but it got less and less until eventually it stopped. Growing pains is what I've always assumed it was, but I guess I'll never be sure of that! Anyway, I just wanted you to know that we've been through the same thing and that it did eventually go away!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Orlando on

when i was a little girl, almost everynight i would wake up screaming with leg pain. my foot would be straight out like as if i wear on tippy toes. my mom would have to massage my leg until the my calf muscle would relax. we never new why this would happen everynight. now that i'm older. and have had to go thru this without my mom. and having to do the massaging by myself. i have realized that it was the bed all a long. now that i have a very good mattress. i dont have that problem anymore. every-now-then i wake up with the cramp, but i realize that i was sleeping ackwardly. maybe i was on a nerve or something. but when i was a little girl i had a bunkbed with the foam mattress. they suck. and then i moved to a waterbed. still had the problems. now i'm on a firm with pillow top and dont have the problems anymore. if i sleep on the floor directly on my back, it will happen again. your little girl could be going thru something different, but when i read the request i had to tell you what i went thru, maybe it will be helpfull. because it was really painful what i went thru. if it happens again feel her leg muscles and see if they are tight and massage them to see if it helps.

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S.

answers from Naples on

K. I would say your husband is right it is probably growing pains. I went through the same thing with my daughter, it started when she was about 2 until she was about 3 1/2 then it stoped. It started up again last year (she was 7) and were still dealing with it. I found for my daughter the best thing was heat and lots of rubbing. I dont know if it really helped but it made her feel better. I hope this helps.

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V.

answers from Orlando on

My son that is almost 5 years old went through the same thing (since he was 2 1/2)and it still happen from time to time. As the other moms, I massage the legs when it happens until he feels better and go back to sleep. I did choose to invest in very good shoes and good matress for him and I try to keep from being over active daytime, I realize for exemple if he uses his bike on a long distance or if we have to walk for a long time(parks, mall..), I know the night is going to be difficult. I think it's a bit like when you do an activity (like wall painting) for a day and then the next day you feel that pain in your shoulders and arms, because all that lactic acid is sitting there. Well as soon as you are going to move again , use the same muscle, the pain goes away( the pain is usually a bit worst before it gets better) because the working muscle evacuate the acid that causes the pain. so when he wakes up and moves the pain is great ,I massage and move the leg hoping it will work the same way. food intake has been the other think I tried to control, no refined sugar, increase magnesium intake like bananas or go for extra vit.
I hope for you it is not something too serious. It is really difficult to see your child, any child in pain not knowing really what to do to make him feel better. After two years, it seems to be much better, we stay months without pain.
hope it helps.
wish you the best.

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J.V.

answers from Fort Myers on

This used to happen to my son also. I would just massage his legs and try to calm him down until he fell asleep. This happened for awhile, but eventually less and less. He is now 8 and I can't recall it happening for at least a year. Just this past weekend I was shopping at Ada's and noticed they have a natural medicine just for kids with growing pains! I wish I would have known that years ago, I would definitly have tried it!! Good luck to you!

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L.M.

answers from Lakeland on

Have you ever slept on a leg or arm and woke up feeling pins and needles? That might very well be what happened to your little girl. I wouldn't worry too much, but do keep an eye on it. Look to see if it bothers her in the daytime as well. If it persists, I would make an appointment with her pediatrician.

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M.R.

answers from Lakeland on

Absolutely! My son, now 4 years old has been having growing pains since before he was a year old. He would wake up crying hysterically (Very loud might I add) just like your daughter, only we couldn't figure out what was wrong because he would never tell us. At first I thought he was just having bad dreams. We would try talking to him, but he couldn't be bothered. He would just cry, and cry until finally he would fall back asleep. At least now he is able to tell us where it hurts. But yes, it is normal. We just massage the area that's hurting him.

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A.B.

answers from Fort Myers on

Hi K.. My daughter has had this happen on numerous occasions. She wakes up screaming that her legs hurt. My husband and I believe them to be growing pains. Usually, a little Motrin and a leg rub makes her happy and she goes back to sleep. This started about year or so ago and she'll be 3 next month. It happens every so often. I remember having very bad leg pains growing up. Doesn't hurt to ask the doctor at your next visit but I bet it's no big deal. It could also be that she exercised or used a particular muscle group that she doesn't use that frequently and she is getting cramps. Anyway, for us a little TLC and some Motrin usually do the trick. Good luck and hugs and kisses to Samantha.

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R.W.

answers from Fort Myers on

It does sound like growing pains to me too. My three-year-old son wakes up like that sometimes. I was real concerned at first until I finally figured out that he needed me to massage his area of pain. For my son it is his knee. I can remember having growing pains real bad growing up but mine were always behind the knee.
I talked to someone else before that had growing pains as a kid at another location.

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K.Q.

answers from Lakeland on

my son who is now six has been waking up and complaining about his legs for a couple of years...he wakes up screeming sometimes they hurt so bad...i would give him a pain pill and massage his legs till he goes back to sleep...it would also bother him during the day...the dr said it is just growing....he has been better the last couple of months...so i think he's actually getting over it....hopefully...hope this helps

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S.B.

answers from Fort Myers on

I see the one response that maybe he slept on it wrong and the tingling is weird. I have read also taht they do growing at night time during sleep. Antoher thought is something i saw on Nanny, the kid would scream out in pain whenever she was not getting attention or when her parents were fighting. This was her way of diverting the situation and of course, getting sympathy.

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