Growing pains are completely normal and represent the most common cause of musculoskeletal pain in children. Somewhere between 3% and 37% of kids experience them, depending on age group, with one large Australian study finding that more than a third of children ages 4 to 6 reported episodes. The pain can be surprisingly intense, which understandably worries parents, but growing pains are benign and resolve on their own over time.
What Growing Pains Feel Like
Children typically describe growing pains as an aching or throbbing sensation in their legs. In about two-thirds of cases, the pain centers on the shins, calves, front of the thighs, or behind the knees. It almost always affects both legs rather than just one.
The timing is one of the most recognizable features. Growing pains tend to show up in the late afternoon or evening, and they frequently wake children at night. By morning, the child feels completely fine, as if nothing happened. Episodes last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, and then the pain disappears entirely for days, weeks, or even months before returning.
The intensity varies widely. Some children have mild discomfort they barely mention. Others wake up crying. Both ends of the spectrum are typical, and the severity of an episode doesn’t indicate anything more serious as long as the pain follows the usual pattern.
What Actually Causes Them
Despite the name, growing pains aren’t directly caused by bones growing. The leading theory points to physical activity and muscle fatigue. Many parents notice that episodes are worse on days when their child has been especially active, running around at recess or playing sports. Older children sometimes describe the pain as “crampy,” which supports the idea that tired muscles are driving the discomfort.
There may also be a skeletal component. One study found that children with growing pains had significantly lower shinbone density compared to peers of the same age. Researchers suggested that this lower bone density, combined with a busy day of running and jumping, could create a kind of overuse effect in the legs. Growing pains likely represent a pain amplification syndrome of early childhood, where the body’s pain signals are temporarily turned up in response to normal physical stress.
Ages When They’re Most Common
Growing pains typically appear in two windows: between ages 3 and 5, and again between ages 8 and 12. The preschool years see the highest prevalence. Most children outgrow the episodes entirely by their early teens. A five-year follow-up study found that about half of children with growing pains had complete resolution, and among those who still had occasional episodes, 83% reported them as less frequent and milder than before.
Signs That Something Else Is Going On
Growing pains follow a predictable pattern: both legs, evening or nighttime, gone by morning, no visible changes to the leg. When pain breaks that pattern, it’s worth paying closer attention. Specific warning signs include:
- Pain in only one leg or one specific joint, especially with redness, swelling, or stiffness, which can point to infection or inflammatory joint disease
- Limping or stiffness that’s worse in the morning, a pattern more consistent with inflammatory conditions than growing pains
- Fever, weight loss, fatigue, or loss of appetite alongside the pain
- Unexplained rashes or bruising
- Pain that persists during the day and doesn’t follow the evening-to-morning cycle
Growing pains also never cause visible swelling, redness, or warmth in the affected area. If the leg looks different in addition to hurting, that’s a reason to get it evaluated.
How to Help Your Child During an Episode
The most effective immediate response is gentle massage. Rubbing the calves, thighs, or wherever the pain is concentrated provides real relief for most children. Some kids respond best to simply being held or cuddled, which makes sense given that episodes often happen at night when they’re already tired and upset.
Children’s ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help during more intense episodes. Aspirin should not be given to children due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious condition.
For prevention, daytime leg stretches can reduce the frequency of nighttime episodes. Gentle stretching of the calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps before bed is a simple habit that many families find helpful. If your child has very flexible joints or foot alignment issues that seem connected to the pain, shoe inserts or a few sessions of physical therapy may also make a difference.
The Long-Term Outlook
Growing pains do not cause lasting damage to muscles, bones, or joints. They don’t lead to arthritis, chronic pain conditions, or orthopedic problems later in life. A five-year study specifically tracked whether children with growing pains went on to develop fibromyalgia, and none did. The prevalence of other pain syndromes in the group actually decreased over time, dropping from 20% to 14%. For the vast majority of children, growing pains are a temporary and harmless part of childhood that fades with age.