Should growing pains be giving ds1 so much grief?

[TulipsInTheRain]

ds1 has been complaining of sore legs alot recently.... not in itself that remarkable, he's 3 and genaerally has some complaint or another. However he's been waking up at night screaming and crying because of the pain... about once or twice a fortnight for a few months now.

Can growing pains be that bad? I remember them being more akin to pins and needles in my bones.

I posted on another similar thread about vit d deficiency causing muscle pains - is v common. you could see if vit d supplements make a difference?

thanks sanfairyann..... he does get vits occasionally but i'll admit i'm a bit lax about them as he generally eats well, will definitely give it a try though.

My dd has just turned 4 and has been the same every few weeks she wakes up screaming with sore leg or legs in the night and says sometimes during the day they are sore, she has just grown quite abit again in height so may have been the problem my Dh suffered really bad growing pains so i think its the same but will try the vits

Yes growing pains can be that bad. Ds1 who is nearly 6, has suffered badly from them since about 3 years old. Last night he woke and complained his wrist hurt... But normally it's his legs. Usually after a very active day of running, football, swimming.

What has worked for us is to give a dose of Ibuprofen, it is an anti inflammatory so helps and a hot water bottle seems to ease the pain also.

An old wives tale is stand him in a cold enamel bath, which is empty! We haven't tried that one yet.

Is your ds very active?

Vit D deficiency is deffo not our problem, since we live in the tropics.

My dd(9) has suffered growing pains on and off for years now, tried viamins but she still got them.

Night time seems to the the worst time and when this happens I give her some nurofen and that seems to help her sleep, but only when going through a growth spurt.

She is not really tall but almost a head taller than her closest friends.

My DS 4 has exactly the same. Wakes up screaming in pain approx once a week. I'm not sure if its cramp or muscle pain as it releases so quickly and hes back to normal. I had advice to try him on magnesium - muscle relaxant... the health shops do a version suitable for children - so far so good....

Wow, seems to be fairly common then!

He's not hugely active but has his moments. He is very tall though, same height as my 5 year old dd, and has definitely grown over the last few months, corresponding to an increase in night time pain.

Going to have a look for that kids magnesium online now.

Thanks all.... i'm feeling slightly reassured now at least.... hopefully he'll grow out of it eventually