How to Deal with your Child's Hurting Legs: Growing Pains
Kids get growing pains in their legs, usually in the upper part of the leg (e.g., near the thighs). It's commonly believed among doctors that the pain is the result of "tiring-out" their muscles through various activities involving running, jumping, etc. As an adult, I still get this once in awhile. So, I know what my child goes through when she indicates that her legs hurt. This is NOT muscle cramps. It is just an all-around ache that your child feels in the legs. So, what can you do to help relieve this pain? Here are some tips...
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Undoubtedly, the best thing to do is to "massage" your child's legs, especially the upper part. This doesn't involve the typical massage techniques. It just involves squeezing. Put one or both hands on the child's legs and gently but firmly squeeze. Do this continually for about 10-15 minutes. For the most part, the pain should go away and should allow the child to sleep, or at least have temporary relief from the pain.
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You can also prop some pillows underneath the child's legs to elevate them. This seems to help but will require awhile before it has any effects.
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If the hurting seems bad enough, you could also put the child's legs in warm water or have him/her take a warm bath.
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Similarly, you could also place a heating pad around the legs to keep them warm. Cold legs appear to make the pain worse.
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You could also give your child some pain medicine (e.g., ibuprofen) but I wouldn't recommend it, and only as a last resort with your doctor's approval.
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