Just when you thought those sleepless nights were behind you, your kiddo starts to complain of soreness in their legs while they should be getting some much-needed sleep. They might not know how to describe the pain, but those achy, cramping muscles just might be growing pains.
Talk to other parents and you’ll find out that you’re not alone: 25-40% of children between the ages of 3 and 12 suffer from growing pains and, well, we parents suffer along with them.
What are Growing Pains?
What exactly are those pains that keep our kids up in the middle of the night? Despite the name, growing pains have no proven connection to growth spurts. While there is not one agreed upon cause, it is believed that growing pains are caused by the depletion of vitamins and minerals our kids lose by exerting energy throughout the day.
Growing pains typically strike anywhere from early evening through to the middle of the night. The pain is often isolated to the lower body often affecting the thighs, calves, or behind the knees. The pain can often be so intense that it wakes your child from sleep. Talk about stress inducing!
How Massage Can Help
That’s where Bayview Sheppard RMT comes in. Massage is proven to reduce the discomfort of growing pains and naturally soothe the affected areas. Many adults have come to recognize the benefits of Massage Therapy but it’s not just for mom and dad. We encourage you to talk to our RMTs who are well trained in massage for children as well. Don’t worry if you had a hard time getting your little ones to sit still, you’d be surprised in how much our RMTs can accomplish in just 30 minutes.
To ease the discomfort of growing pains, gently massaging the affected areas is a great place to start. By isolating these areas, our RMTs are able to soothe those tired, achy muscles your kids complain about in a manner that’ll reduce the reappearance of pain during the evening. We often recommend Epsom salt baths to help with the discomfort.
To learn more about our children’s massages, you can read our blog post or give us a call – we work with lots of families, kids included, to help everyone get a good night’s rest.
Bayview Sheppard RMT is a massage therapy clinic located in North York, Toronto, open 7 days a week. We offer treatments specifically based around children’s growing pains, pregnancy and prenatal massage, sports massage, deep tissue massage, Thai massage, couples massage, and much more. Email or call us today to book.