Can we please stop talking about “growing pains” as if it’s a real ailment?
during growth spurts necessarily resolve
A common scenario: parent and
full skeletal growth and maturity
child present to a doctor or sports once
occurs.
Rapid or asymmetrical growth can result
medicine professional regarding
in any number of biomechanical anomalies.
persistent and unexplained pain to
This includes spinal conditions such as:
be told, “it’s growing pains”.
Your child indeed may have recently
undergone a growth spurt but the term
“growth pains” is not useful in explaining
the myriad of juvenile conditions that are
commonly lumped together under this
banner.
Growth occurs at random and
unpredictable rates and does not always
happen symmetrically between the left and
right sides. The process of growth is not
painful nor do any symptoms that emerge
•
•
Scoliosis (a rotational deviation
resulting in an “S” shaped spinal
deformity) or
Scheuermann’s disease (pain of the
thoracic and lumbar areas associated
with stiffness, posterior thigh tightness
and a “slumped” posture).
On peripheral joints such as the knee
and ankle, increased tensile force at the
attachment of tendons to the bone due to a
loss of hamstring or calf flexibility, will result
in a vastly different clinical presentation in a
child with pliable bones than an adult who
has reached full skeletal maturity and bone
rigidity.
In an adult, prolonged tightness of
muscle and tendon units may result in
repeated muscle tears or tendonitis whereas
the same force placed on immature bone
will result in uniquely juvenile presentations
such as Osgood Schlatter’s (swelling of the
bone at the attachment point of the patella
tendon to the shin bone just below the knee
cap) or Sever’s disease (a painful lump on
the back of the heel where the Achilles
tendon attaches to the bone).
Commonly, the child is asked to
undertake lengthy periods away from sport
as part of the strategy to combat these
conditions. A more pro-active approach may
include restoring flexibility and correcting
biomechanical asymmetry thereby allowing
the inflammatory process to subside.
Of course, the traditional management
strategies of ice, anti- inflammatory
medication [ where applicable], soft tissue
massage, therapeutic ultrasound, taping and
corrective footwear will still play a role in
reducing symptoms and alleviating pain but
the primary objective is always to restore
symmetrical and unrestrained mobility and
in doing so, to unload impacted structures.
Peter Georgilopoulos
APA Titled Sports
Physiotherapist
Physiotherapist to the
Socceroos 1990-2000
Peter owns
Spine+Body Centre of
Allied Health in Bundall
on the Gold Coast. PH:
07 5531 6422
He has a long standing clinical interest in
muscle flexibility in the sporting population
particularly in relation to neural influences and,
his association with Bond University over the
last few years has enabled him to undertake
research in this area resulting in two studies
to date the first of which was published in
“Manual Therapy”.
68 Complete Health