Growing pains?
Does your child complain of leg and foot pains?
Recurrent limb pain in childhood is a fairly common condition, with children typically experiencing aching pains in the late afternoon and early evening. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/growing-pains/symptoms-causes/syc-20354349
The under fives might complain of their legs feeling tired rather than painful and you might notice they are unusually clumsy or unstable.
There is a lot of confusing advice about, including old wives tales which put it down to the growth process and the term ‘growing pains. Forget Harry Potter’s agonising experience of re-growing bones, there is in fact little to no medical evidence that the growth process is painful.
Should you be worried?
Our advice would be – when it is occurring regularly, or the pain is very intense, it may indicate that a foot assessment might be necessary.
When the feet are not functioning well, it causes the muscles to fatigue. This stress in the tissues results in soreness or cramping in the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the legs. You may notice that your child wants to be carried if asked to walk for a longer distance, such as a walk in the park.
Children play and run a good deal of their time, much more so than adults. It seems logical to assume that children might also experience pain in their extremities related to their running and playing causing excessive strain on their individual biomechanical make-up.
Studies have shown that children with a flexible flat foot deformity also experienced lower extremity symptoms and the vast majority of them found their symptoms resolved with the use of orthotics.
Bio-mechanical examination
We recommend that children experiencing this recurrent limb pain have a podiatrist bio-mechanical examination at least once a year. https://randellsfootcare.co.uk/biomechanics/
We have a fantastic bio-mechanics podiatry team who strongly believe in prevention as the best way to keep our bodies and feet in great condition.
If you have any concerns at all about this topic, our podiatrists would be happy to talk things over with you.
