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If a 5-year-old child often has aching legs, discomfort at night, it may be a sign of growing pain. This is the period when children's bones develop rapidly, so parents need to pay attention to add calcium, iron, vitamin D, ... to the diet to help children grow taller.
1. Why do 5-year-olds often have foot pain?
1.1 Growth pain, calcium deficiency One of the most common causes of leg pain in children, especially at night, is growth pain. This is a painful muscle condition that some children experience between the ages of 3 - 6 and 8 - 12 years old. The pain usually occurs in the late afternoon or evening, but can wake a child in the middle of the night. However, the pain usually goes away in the morning.
Growth pain is simply muscle soreness caused by being active all day and causing muscle tearing. Activities include: Running, jumping, playing, climbing,... Growing pain occurs in both legs, especially the front thighs, calves or behind the knees.
Growth pain may vary from child to child. Some babies have a lot of pain but others don't. About 10-35% of children will experience growth spurts at least once in their life. The pain can last for several months to several years.
About the cause, the reason why children often get tired at night is because this is the time when the bones grow fastest, but the muscles sometimes do not keep up with the growth rate, causing the muscles to stretch, causing pain. Meanwhile, substances necessary for bone development such as iron and calcium are not provided in a timely manner. If this is the reason, it is only necessary to add calcium to the child in the form of drugs, milk and foods rich in calcium.
1.2 Other health problems Leg fatigue in children, if due to growing pain, it will occur in both legs, the pain disappears in the morning. If the child only has pain in one leg, and pain in the morning or has other symptoms, it may be due to other diseases, specifically as follows:
Pain due to movement, collision with hard objects; Sudden, recurrent leg pain accompanied by bruises on the body, bleeding gums, prolonged high fever, nosebleeds, swollen knee joints, ... can be early signs of blood cancer ; Leg pain accompanied by drooping eyelids may be myasthenia gravis; If the pain in the legs and lower back, pelvis, tailbone, pain when sitting for a long time, ... it may be due to sacroiliitis. With all doubts about the abnormal condition of the child without explaining the exact cause, it is best for parents to take the child to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis of the health status and treatment intervention when needed. set.
Trẻ 5 tuổi hay bị nhức mỏi chân cần được phát hiện và thăm khám kịp thời
2. What to do when children often have numbness in their feet, sore feet?
If a 5-year-old child often suffers from leg pain, parents can apply the following measures to help relieve the child's discomfort:
Reduce vigorous activities during the day: When the child shows signs of pain growth Parents should advise their children to reduce vigorous physical activities during the day. That is, it is advisable to temporarily stop running, kicking and kicking activities so as not to strain muscles at night; Help children relax when in pain: If the child has leg pain and can't sleep, parents should stay with the child, gently massage the foot or apply a warm compress to the child's foot to forget about the pain. Or parents can also talk to the child or play a small game with the baby to distract the baby's attention about the pain. Then, parents can tell interesting stories to make the baby feel secure and sleep easier; Nutritional balance for children: During the period when children have leg pain due to growth pain, parents should pay attention to their baby's nutrition. Avoid taking calcium supplements or pain relievers without consulting your doctor. At this stage, the baby needs to be supplemented with nutrients (protein, vitamin D, vitamin C, calcium, ...) from food. Therefore, parents should actively feed their children more green vegetables, fruits, milk, nuts, ... for healthy development. In case the pain does not improve, parents can consult the doctor about giving the child an over-the-counter pain reliever such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen with the right dose. However, parents need to be careful not to give their children aspirin to avoid the risk of Reye's syndrome as well as other health problems.
If the above measures are applied but have little effect, or the 5-year-old child often has leg pain and has additional symptoms of limping, fever, etc., parents should take the child to see a doctor because it may be possible. The baby is having another health problem (not due to growth pain), avoiding dangerous complications that can occur.
With many years of experience in examining and treating diseases in children, now the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examining , screening and treatment of many specialized diseases in children. Therefore, if the child shows signs of leg pain that does not improve, parents can take the child to Vinmec International General Hospital for examination and receive support and advice from doctors and experts. nutrition.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
