When Growing Pains Bring Tears: Two Natural Ways To Relieve The Aches In Your Children
Summer time is the time of year when your children are most active, but for many children this increase in physical activity can also bring with it a phenomenon known as 'growing pains'. The name 'growing pains' is a misnomer as there is no evidence the pain comes from your child's growth spurts; however, it is thought that muscles tired from physical activity may be one source of these aches. Once you have ruled out that the pain is coming from a serious medical issue through a consultation with your paediatrician, you need to find a way to relieve the pain and stop the tears.
Heat Treatment
Whether you chose to put your child in a hot bath, or use a wheat pack that has been heated up in the microwave, heat treatment is a natural way to relieve the pain your child is experiencing.
While your child was outside running around, lactic acid built up in their muscles. It accumulates there while the muscles are under stress, but it gets stuck when your child abruptly stops moving to come inside for dinner. To release the lactic acid, use a heat treatment as it opens up the blood flow of the muscles again. This allows the lactic acid to drain away, and the muscles will feel less stiff and sore.
Osteopathic Massage
Taking your child to an osteopath on a regular basis is another natural way to relieve the pain your child is experiencing. An osteopath is trained to look at the whole area around the pain site, as they believe every part of the body is working together. To an osteopath the cause of the pain may not be in the same area as where the pain is being transmitted, so they seek to find out where the problem is stemming from before they begin to treat it.
Treatment by an osteopath is as individual as the person they are treating. One method they may use on your child to increase the blood flow to the pained area is based on stretching the muscles. The pain that comes from your child's muscles may be because the muscle is having spasms after being put under stress during play time. The spasms occur when the muscle involuntarily constricts and relaxes, but stretching the muscle can break this constricting cycle. If an osteopath feels stretching the muscles will help the situation, they will teach your child what stretches to do and how often to do them.
Your child does not need to put up with the pain of growing, and you don't need to reach for the pain reliever bottle each time they complain either. Instead, try these two natural methods of pain relief, and continue to seek professional advice from a doctor at a clinic like Keilor Health Centre until the pain goes away.