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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffYou can help ease your child's discomfort with these home remedies:
- Rub your child's legs. Some children respond to gentle massage. Others feel better when they're held or cuddled.
- Use a heating pad. Heat can help soothe sore muscles. Use a heating pad on a low setting before bedtime or when your child complains of leg pain. Remove the heating pad once your child falls asleep. A warm bath before bedtime may help, too.
- Try a pain reliever. Offer your child ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Avoid aspirin, due to the risk of Reye's syndrome — a rare but serious condition linked to giving aspirin to children.
References
- Lowe RM, et al. Growing pains: A noninflammatory pain syndrome of early childhood. Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology. 2008;4:542.
- Lehman TJA, et al. Growing pains. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2010.
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