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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.
- Stretch your child's legs. You might make it a habit during the day and again before bedtime.
- 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.
It may also help to simply offer your support. Remind your child that growing pains won't last forever.
References
- 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.
