Growing Pains

There are no tests to diagnose growing pains. Your child’s healthcare provider may perform a physical examination and will ask you about your child’s symptoms. They will ask where your child’s pain is located, when the pain started and what your child was doing on the day the pain started. If your child was very active during the day — playing sports, exercising, running or jumping — your child’s healthcare provider may diagnose growing pains. Lots of physical activity during the day can cause growing pains at night.

Growing pains typically occur on both sides of your child’s body and disappear by morning. If your child’s pain is only on one side of their body and/or they wake up with pain or stiffness, your child’s healthcare provider may order laboratory tests or imaging tests to rule out other potential causes of the pain.