HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Bone pain in children
Mamae kōiwi ki ngā tamariki
Bone pain in tamariki (children) is common and can have many causes. It's usually a dull, achy pain and it often wakes tamariki
children
from their sleep. It can also happen after physical activity or after an injury.
Causes of bone pain in children
Bone pain can be caused by an injury, overuse, a disease, an infection or a tumour. When no cause is found, it's often put down to growing pains.
Growing pains often happen in the thighs, calves or the back of the knees. Doctors think growing pains happen during periods of rapid growth. They think the pains are caused by tendons and ligaments being stretched by the rapid bone growth.
Getting help for bone pain in children
If your tamaiti (child) has not had an injury and their bone pain has not gone away after three days, it's important to see your GP. They will ask you questions about your child’s symptoms and examine the area that’s painful. They may arrange an X-ray or blood tests, depending on what they think the cause might be.
Important
Take your tamaiti to see a doctor straight away if they:
- have a recent injury that stops them doing what they were doing – they could have a broken bone that needs treating
- have pain that wakes them up at night for longer than a week
- have swelling around one of their bones
- have a fever
- have a new rash
- refuse to put weight on the leg
- are tired or weak.
Treating bone pain in children
The treatment depends on the cause of the bone pain. Your GP will discuss this with you. They may need to refer you to a bone doctor (called an orthopaedic surgeon) or a children’s medical specialist (called a paediatrician) if you need further investigation or treatment.
Occasionally, your health professional may take a watch and wait approach. If this happens, it’s important to go back if the symptoms do not improve, get worse or change.
Helping your child with bone pain
If your tamaiti child is waking at night with bone pain, the following may help:
- gentle massage
- heat pads
- ice (if they have had a recent injury)
- stretching
- a warm bath before bedtime
- simple pain relief. Make sure they take it regularly until they're comfortable. But never exceed the recommended dose for your child's weight. Try paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2022.
Sources
See also:
Review key: HIBJC-30067
