Growing Pains vs Injury: How Parents Can Tell the Difference

“My legs hurt.”

For parents, those three words can create an immediate question:

Is this just growing pains, or did my child hurt something?

Leg discomfort is common during childhood, but not every ache should automatically be blamed on growth.

Understanding the pattern can help parents know when to monitor symptoms and when to seek professional advice.

What Are “Growing Pains”?

The name is slightly misleading.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that growth itself is not believed to be the direct cause of growing pains. These aches may be noticed around bedtime or during the night and can sometimes follow active days.

Typical complaints are often described as aching in the legs rather than a clearly identifiable injury to one structure.

The child may have been running and playing normally earlier in the day.

What Does an Injury Look Like?

An injury is more likely when there is a clear event or a consistent relationship between pain and activity.

For example:

“I landed badly after jumping.”

“My ankle hurts every time I run.”

“I twisted my knee.”

“My heel hurts during soccer practice.”

Parents may also notice:

• Limping
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Reduced movement
• Tenderness in one specific location
• Avoidance of using one leg

That pattern is different from vague, occasional nighttime aching.

Pain During Activity Deserves Attention

One useful distinction is whether pain interferes with normal movement.

If a child repeatedly stops playing because of pain, changes the way they walk, or cannot perform an activity they normally manage comfortably, the symptom deserves attention.

Children should not need to “push through” persistent pain simply because they are young.

Red Flags

Seek medical advice when pain is accompanied by concerning features such as:

• Significant swelling
• Inability to bear weight
• Persistent limping
• Fever or illness
• Significant weakness
• Severe pain
• Pain that continues to worsen
• Repeated pain in one specific location
• Pain following substantial trauma

Parents should also seek advice when something simply feels out of character for their child.

You know their normal behaviour better than anyone.

What About Pain After Sports?

Children and teenagers can experience overuse injuries.

These occur when the demands placed on tissue repeatedly exceed its ability to recover.

Young athletes who participate in a high volume of one activity may develop pain even without one dramatic injury.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that many injuries in young athletes are related to overuse and recommends regular rest from organized training.

That means “there wasn’t an accident” does not automatically mean nothing is injured.

How Can Physiotherapy Help?

For musculoskeletal pain, a physiotherapist may assess:

• Joint movement
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Walking and running
• Balance
• Sport mechanics
• Training demands
• Activities that aggravate symptoms

Treatment may include exercise, education, activity modification, gradual return to sport, and collaboration with other healthcare professionals when necessary.

The great news is that assessments at a physiotherapy clinic are a great place to start.

Don’t Let the Label Replace an Assessment

“Growing pains” can sound reassuring.

Sometimes reassurance is appropriate.

But the phrase should not become a catch-all explanation for every recurring pain a child experiences.

If your child is otherwise well, active during the day, and experiences occasional generalized aches, monitoring may be reasonable.

If pain is persistent, localized, associated with swelling or limping, repeatedly triggered by activity, or simply concerns you, seek an assessment.

Determining the cause is more useful than trying to guess whether a child will eventually “grow out of it.”