In the process of the baby's growth, it is inevitable that there will be some uncomfortable places, and there is a kind of pain, which will inexplicably begin and disappear inexplicably, which makes parents feel troubled, which is the so-called "growth pain".
What is growth pain
Because the main attack period is when the child is 3 to 12 years old, that is, during the child's growth, it is named growth pain.
It is a pain that is common in children and occurs at night, which is experienced by about 10-20% of children and disappears on its own after a period of time without causing other effects.
There is no exact thesis of its inducing causes, some people think that the child's tolerance to pain is low, and some people think that it is caused by the child's excessive activity during the day, but these are just speculations.
How to judge growth pain
Growth pain is summed up in three words: unexpected encounters, intermittent pain, and no cause to investigate.
1. Unexpected encounters: growth pain generally begins when the child is 3 to 12 years old, usually occurs in the afternoon or evening, some children may be awakened by pain, but there is no clear cause, the attack is inexplicable, and it is difficult to understand. Sometimes if your child exercises more during the day, the pain may also be exacerbated.
2. Intermittent pain: Growth pain is generally intermittent pain, which will occur once a month or even a week, and there are no symptoms during the interval period, which must last at least 3 months. Moreover, growth pain usually improves on its own and the symptoms disappear within a short period of time (one night) and does not last until the next morning.
3. No cause to check: growth pain generally can not detect any problems, the child's joints, local muscle appearance and even growth and development are not abnormal, just simple pain, even if you go to the hospital for auxiliary examination (such as bone X-ray examination, or blood test), the results are normal, can not find out the cause.
Which conditions require further medical examination
1. Limb pain has not improved, and continues to worsen, or only unilateral limb pain;
2. The child has other systemic symptoms, such as: unexplained fever, recent significant weight loss, and the child's reluctance to move and be too lazy to move;
3. There is pain during the day, especially in the morning;
4. It is inconvenient to walk, obviously feel limited when moving, and even limp;
5. The pain site only appears in the upper limbs, back or groin;
6. During the auxiliary examination, it is found that the child has local abnormalities, such as hyperthermia, tenderness, swelling or erythema, and decreased mobility of the joints.
The above situations all indicate that this is not typical growth pain, may be caused by trauma or other reasons, because the child's expression of pain is sometimes not completely accurate, so for the sake of caution, the child should be sent to the hospital in time, and a professional orthopedic doctor should be consulted.
How to deal with growth pain
Although the growth pain can be relieved on its own, it will not cause any damage. But it can make the child feel sore spots, or affect sleep. So how should you deal with it as a parent?
1. When the degree is light, you can massage and compress locally.
If the child's pain is not too intense and the child feels that it is still within the tolerable range, then instead of drug control, you can take a massage on the painful area, apply hot compresses or try to let the child listen to music, play with toys and other ways to relieve the pain. Of course, pay attention to the temperature of the hot compress, be careful not to be too hot, so as not to burn the child's skin;
2. When the degree is more intense, or when massage or hot compresses are ineffective.
Over-the-counter analgesics are recommended for symptomatic pain treatment. For example, acetaminophen or ibuprofen, taken in moderation before bedtime, can not only prevent your child from waking up at night due to increased activity during the day, but also help to interrupt the recurrence of pain.
In addition, many studies have shown that growth pain is not directly related to children's calcium deficiency, of course, there is no drug to prevent, so parents do not have to give their children calcium supplements or take certain drugs that claim to prevent growth pain.