05 Sep Your Child’s Growing Pains: Chiropractic Care and Other Effective, Natural Remedies
Lately, your child has begun to complain at night that their legs hurt. Maybe the pain even wakes them up. What’s going on? It may be a condition known as growing pains. We see it commonly at Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic. Fortunately, we can provide effective treatments and helpful advice that will soon have your child feeling better.
Facts About Growing Pains
Growing pains are the most common reason for musculoskeletal pain in children, from toddlers to young teens.
The name came about originally because medical researchers thought the pain was caused by bones growing more quickly than tendons. That’s since been disproven, but the name has stuck. Some current theories about the causes of growing pains include:
- Joints that are too flexible, leading to muscle strains with activity
- Overuse of muscles due to greater physical activity
- Flat feet
- Low pain threshold
- Poor bone strength, possibly due to diet deficiencies
Although growing pains are temporary and benign, your child’s pain is upsetting and can be disruptive to your family’s life.
Growing Pain Symptoms
Typically, children feel pain in both legs, especially in the calves, shins and front of thighs. This aching or cramping pain usually strikes anywhere from late afternoon to overnight, especially after an active day. It may last for a few minutes or for hours. Although the discomfort can be strong enough to interrupt sleep, the pain is gone the next morning and during much of the day.
Some kids are affected by their growing pains every day, while others may go longer, even several months, between bouts of pain.
Solutions for Growing Pains
You can offer your child relief with some precautions, natural treatments at home, and gentle chiropractic care that helps to alleviate the sources of pain. Here are some tips:
- Gently stretching and massaging the painful muscles
- Applying heat to the muscles
- Having your child fitted with shoe inserts for flat feet, if needed
- A warm bath before bed
- Good hydration to help prevent leg cramps
- A nutritious diet for strong muscles, bones and joints
- Keeping variety in your child’s activities, with frequent breaks, to prevent overuse problems
- Making sure your child’s backpack isn’t overloaded and causing muscle strain
- Proactive chiropractic therapies to align the spine and ease muscle tension
How Chiropractic Care Relieves Your Child’s Pain
During the early years of childhood, the growth of your musculoskeletal system sets the stage for how you move for the rest of your life. Good alignment of your child’s spine creates a foundation that helps to prevent joint and muscle strain that may contribute to growing pains.
Your chiropractor can diagnose the condition and help ease the discomfort of growing pains. Gentle chiropractic adjustments and other therapies for your child help to:
- Align the spine
- Loosen tight, uncomfortable muscles
- Improve joint and nervous system function
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve mobility and flexibility
- Relieve pain
All chiropractic therapies are non-invasive and involve no use of medication.
Your child can feel better soon, safely and naturally.
Contact Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic for Your Free Consultation
We’re here to help your whole family maximize their health potential. Give our Broken Arrow office a call today at 918-940-4630.