Have you ever been woken up by your child screaming in the middle of the night from sudden leg pain? It might be growing pains—and far too often, parents are told it’s “normal” and there’s nothing to be done but wait it out.
But what if you didn’t have to simply watch your child suffer? Good news: there’s a natural solution—chiropractic care!
What Are Growing Pains?
Growing pains typically present as bilateral leg pain—meaning pain in both legs—with no obvious injury, swelling, or limping. It often appears suddenly, especially at night, disrupting your child’s sleep and comfort.
Studies have shown that approximately 26.9% of children between ages 4–6 will experience growing pains at some point (1). That's nearly one-third of young children! Clearly, this is too common to ignore—and families deserve more proactive options.
Traditionally, recommendations involve gentle leg massages and over-the-counter analgesics (pain relievers). However, these methods don't address the root cause. They only mask the symptoms.
What Causes Growing Pains?
To truly help, we need to understand the bigger picture:
First year of life: The spine grows approximately 15 cm. Ages 1–5: Another 15 cm growth occurs. Puberty: A final major growth spurt adds 15 cm to spinal length. Rapid physical changes put immense stress on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. While some growing sensations are expected, significant pain is a signal that something isn’t right.
Potential contributors include:
How Chiropractic Care Supports Growing Bodies
Although growing pains manifest in the legs, the true source may be stress or misalignment in the spine and nervous system.
When bones misalign, they compress nerves, disturbing the critical messages sent between the brain and body. This leads to muscle imbalance, poor posture, dysfunction—and yes, pain.
Misalignments in the lumbar spine (lower back) can disrupt nerve supply to the legs, feet, and toes. Research indicates a correlation between pelvic or low back misalignments and same-side leg pain (2).
Chiropractic adjustments help by:
At Aspire Family Chiropractic, we use gentle, specific techniques to locate and correct spinal misalignments in children. By doing so, we address the root cause of nervous system stress—not just the symptoms.
Growing Pains Are Common—But NOT Normal
Pain—especially during natural growth—should never be dismissed as “normal.” It’s the body’s way of saying it needs support.
Through chiropractic care, your child’s spine, nervous system, and overall health can be optimized—naturally reducing growing pains and encouraging thriving development.
📞 Schedule a pediatric evaluation with Aspire Family Chiropractic today and help your child grow strong, healthy, and pain-free!
