Vital nutrients for growing pains

A child sitting on the floor with a hand pressing against the lower leg, indicating pain or discomfort. The child is wearing a garment with a plaid pattern.

Growing pains can be the bane of a child’s life and this can be really tough for kids and distressing for their parents. It can be so hard to see your child in agony during a growth spurt or experiencing sudden leg pain. Growing pains, which are tight and throbbing leg muscles, usually strike a growing child in the late afternoon or evening. They can also sneak up during the night, disrupting a peaceful night’s sleep causing twinging and restless legs. Typically the pain is felt in the calf, behind the knee or in the front thigh.

The good news is that a balanced, nutrient-rich diet and specific nutrients can help reduce the occurrence of these episodes of aches and pains, and ultimately leading to less distress, improved sleep, and better energy levels.

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What are growing pains?

Growing pains are a bit of a mystery to the medical world, but they’re usually linked to the fact that children have very active and busy days. Running, jumping, climbing, and stretching those little limbs during playtime and sport can take a toll on their growing muscles, especially after an action-packed day. Some children may also experience more sensitivity in their muscles during periods of rapid growth such as during growth spurts in the teen and tween years.

Although the name implies these pains are linked directly to growing, it’s likely a combination of factors, such as genetic susceptibility, increased physical activity, stretching muscles and tendons, and even posture that contribute. Some experts also believe that certain children may experience growing pains if they have more flexible joints such as those kids with hyper mobility and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Other kids may simply have a lower pain threshold.

What can you do to help?

Parents are often advised for their kids to wear supportive footwear such as trainers and even pop orthotics in the child’s shoes to help posture and alignment. Massaging your child’s legs when they are painful can relieve things, as can lots of stretching. Some kids find comfort if you apply hot pads or hot water bottles to the painful areas of the legs. Warm baths can feel lovely and a good way to relax the muscles before bedtime. And if they are an anxious soul, reassuring words that the pain will go away can really help.

Which nutrients count?

Over and above the practical acute things you can do to help relieve the pain, there are some key nutrients needed for a healthy musculoskeletal system to think about. This is because these nutrients have been found to be helpful in preventing tight and sore muscles and keeping the pain at bay. These nutrients include:

Vitamin D – Vitamin D promotes the regeneration of skeletal muscle as well as the mitochondria which are the ‘batteries’ inside our cells that make energy. One small study found that when kids with growing pains and low vitamin D levels took oral vitamin D supplements, their pain reduced significantly. A bit of sunshine each day does wonders for vitamin D levels, but also look to feed them wild-caught salmon, mackerel, sardines, whole organic milk and eggs.

Magnesium – this mighty mineral is a superstar when it comes to muscle relaxation. It’s nature’s answer to tense muscles, which may be causing some of the discomfort during growth spurts. Think nuts and seeds (especially pumpkin seeds), whole grains, leafy greens, and even a bit of dark chocolate! My top tip is to give your child an Epsom salt bath if they are in pain, as I have found this is the quickest way of calming down the pain and it is easy to sprinkle a couple of cups into a warm and relaxing bath and soak for at least 20 minutes.  

Iron – growing bodies need energy, and iron plays a big role in oxygenating the blood and fuelling those hardworking muscles. If your child seems particularly fatigued or achy, low iron levels might be part of the puzzle. One study found that 72 out of 107 (67.3%) of kids with chronic leg pain who received iron supplementation became symptom-free after three months. To boost up iron serve up lots of red meat, lentils, chickpeas, spinach or prunes to keep iron levels up.

Vitamin C – as children grow, their muscles are constantly being stretched, rebuilt, and repaired. Vitamin C is crucial for the formation of collagen, which keeps connective tissue strong. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, helping to protect those growing cells and also helps with iron absorption. Boost up their diet with oranges, strawberries, peppers, kiwi fruit and parsley.

Round up

Growing pains are often a natural part of your child growing up, but they don’t have to be painful and disruptive. By focusing on a nutrient-dense diet, rich in vitamin D, magnesium, iron and vitamin C they may well have less pain, which in turn means more fun and better sleep. If they are picky eaters, then you can top them up with food supplements until things improve. If you would like to run some laboratory tests to identify any specific nutrient shortfalls then be in touch for some consultations with our NatureDoc clinical team.

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