Kids complain of aches and pains from time to time and as a parent, you may find its difficult to determine when such complaints require medical attention. Leg aches at night is a common childhood complaint that is uncomfortable but not serious in most cases. Give your child extra attention and a leg massage to comfort her, and call your pediatrician with any concerns.
Muscle Cramps
Just as adults may experience the sudden onset of leg pain in the middle of the night, children are susceptible to muscle cramps in the legs. Muscle cramps are brief but sometimes very painful involuntary contractions of the muscles that occur most commonly in the calves and feet. After the muscle has completed its series of contractions -- usually finished within a few minutes -- the area may still ache for some time. Dehydration or nutritional deficiencies are among the causes of nighttime leg cramps. Increasing the amount of fluids your child drinks during the day, especially right before and after physical activity, can help prevent muscle cramps. Adding more potassium to your child's diet, through bananas, avocados or nuts, may also help.
Growing Pains
Non-specific leg pain that strikes kids at night is referred to as "growing pains." Ironically, growing pains do not actually occur during a phase of rapid growth, explains U.K.-based physician Helen Foster of Newcastle Hospital. The term is a a catch-all phrase used to describe the aching of the thighs and calves that is more prevalent at night than during daylight hours. Children who have growing pains in the legs usually feel symptoms in both legs at once; the pain is fleeting and may occur off and on until age 12.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Leg pain in children occurring primarily at night could be restless leg syndrome, or RLS. RLS is a condition in which your child feels pain, burning or an uncontrollable urge to move his legs during periods of rest. Restless leg syndrome has the potential to run in families; if either parent has RLS, their offspring are more likely to develop symptoms than if there were no genetic link.
Management
Encourage your child to stretch his legs before bed and give him more room in the bed with loose blankets to help prevent muscle cramps and soothe vague growing pains in the legs. Restless leg syndrome is a medical condition that can be treated with medications, if warranted, by a physician.
