Does your child wake during the night screeching in agony with leg pain? If so, chances they are having some growing pains. Growing pain is a real condition that many children deal with and can happen any time during the childhood years prior to adolescence. It can be quite painful and very scary for both you and your child. Thankfully, the chiropractor can be a great resource for helping deal with growing pains. The following is some helpful information parents should know:

What Is The Source Of Growing Pains?

There is no cause that has been reported when it comes to growing pain. Some doctors believe that it is caused by muscle fatigue or juvenile arthritis. Most children, however, deal with growing pains due to strong physical activities. Physicians typically treat the symptoms with physical therapy and over-the-counter pain relievers.

Chiropractors have a different way of dealing with growing pains in children. He or she will begin with getting a medical history of the child, including all of their physical milestones to date to understand how their growth has progressed. The chiropractor will ask questions regarding the child's daily movements, their level of activity, any trauma that the child has experienced, and other issues pertaining to the child's physical stature.

The chiropractor will also ask about your child's walking habits, particularly when they began to walk. How and when your child began walking can also be the cause of growing pains as the child grows. For example, if the child was putting too much weight on the legs before they were strong enough, this can also alter the mechanics of the muscles in the legs and result in issues that interrupt the growth process.

The spine can also be affected when it comes to growing pains. The chiropractor will take x-rays to see if anything is out of alignment. The spine can often compensate for the stress placed on the legs during this time.

How Can A Chiropractor Help?

The chiropractor will immediately help the child get some relief by identifying the areas in the body that are out of alignment by looking at the spine. He or she will examine all areas that seem to be out of alignment, thus adding stress to the nerves in the legs. Adjustments will then be performed in order to restore proper nerve function in the body to help reduce pain.

Growing pains can be a very painful experience. However, getting your child to the chiropractor (like SpineCare Chiropractic Daniel S. Wright, D.C.) can help gradually reduce that pain by putting the body back to where it needs to be in order to be healed.