“Growing pains” in young children: A study of the profile, experiences and quality of life issues of four to six year old children with recurrent leg pain

Abstract

Background Growing pains is a common yet misunderstood condition which presents frequently to health professionals and appears to be significantly under reported. Little is known about the profile of affected versus unaffected children. Method This research used a validated questionnaire (USAGPQ) for parents of children aged four to six years to explore characteristics such as basic anthropometry, family history, physical activity levels, quality of life (QoL) and the pain experience of affected children. The health professional consulted and resulting treatment or investigations were also surveyed in a systematic random sample of 743 children in South Australia. Results Based on parental responses: only 35.9% children were seen by health professionals; pain medication was the most common intervention prescribed (17.1%); a family history of growing pains was reported in 69.8% cases. In no reported cases was a muscle stretching program used, despite this measure having best evidence for management. Children experiencing growing pains had significantly greater body weight (approximately 5% greater), same activity levels and in a minority of cases (5.7%) reduced QoL estimates. Conclusions This study shows that the management of growing pains is not evidence based and occurs in isolation from health care professionals. The finding of growing pains being associated with increased weight requires further exploration given the concerns of childhood obesity. This prevalent condition affects some young children with considerable frequency and may impact quality of life of these children. This condition is under reported, mismanaged and too often disregarded by health care professionals.