Growing Pains Treatment in Melbourne

1 of 8 · Symptoms

Signs Your Child May Have Growing Pains

Classic growing pains ache in the muscles of both legs, around the calves, shins, thighs or behind the knees, usually in the evening. There is nothing to see the next morning.

Load-related growth pain is different: one spot, worse during or straight after sport, tender to press, and tracking with the sporting calendar rather than the clock.

• Aching in both legs in the evening, with no limp next day
• Heel, knee or shin pain during or straight after sport
• Tenderness when a specific bony point is pressed
• Limping, or walking on the toes to avoid heel contact
• Flares with growth spurts, pre-season or a jump in training

2 of 8 · Causes

What Causes Growing Pains?

During a growth spurt, bone lengthens before muscle and tendon catch up. The calves, hamstrings and quadriceps work at a shorter relative length, which lowers tolerance for repeated running and jumping.

Growth plates matter too. These developing cartilage areas tolerate repetitive tensile load poorly, which is why heel and knee pain cluster in this age group and settle once the plates mature.

1. 01Bone lengthening faster than muscle and tendon during a growth spurt
2. 02Growth plates at heel and knee tolerating repetitive load poorly
3. 03A quick jump in training volume, pre-season load or teams played for
4. 04Hard surfaces, new sports surfaces or a change in footwear
5. 05Worn out school shoes, boots or spikes with little cushioning
6. 06Year-round specialisation in one sport with no off-season
7. 07Extended sitting, with little stretching or strength work to offset it

3 of 8 · Assessment

Growth Check Assessment

Steve asks whether your child can point to the pain with one finger, when it comes on relative to sport, one leg or both, whether it wakes them, their weekly sessions and surfaces, and whether there has been a recent growth spurt.

He then examines the whole leg: the bony landmarks that separate Sever's and Osgood-Schlatter from muscular growing pains, ankle dorsiflexion, calf and quadriceps length, and single-leg strength.

• History: pain location, timing, training load, growth spurt, sleep and health
• Palpation of heel, knee and shin landmarks to separate the diagnoses
• Ankle, calf, hamstring, quadriceps and hip range testing
• Single-leg strength and control: calf raises, squats and hopping
• Walking and running gait, plus standing and dynamic foot posture
• Review of school shoes and sports footwear, wear patterns and fit
• X-ray or GP referral when the presentation is not typical

4 of 8 · Treatment

Treatment & Management

The goal is almost never to stop sport. It is to bring the load back under what your child's growing tissues can handle, then raise that ceiling. Load management comes first, and it is specific: which sessions to keep, shorten or swap.

Two or three exercises done most days beat a ten-exercise sheet abandoned in a week, so we build the program around what your child will actually do.

1. 01A specific load plan: sessions to keep, modify or pause
2. 02Footwear correction for school and sport, including fit and cushioning
3. 03Heel raises, padding or taping for short term relief where indicated
4. 04Calf, quadriceps, hip and foot strength matched to the site of pain
5. 05Flexibility work through growth spurts, especially calves and quadriceps
6. 06Custom orthotics where foot posture is contributing
7. 07A written flare plan so setbacks are managed early

5 of 8 · Recovery

What treatment involves and how long it takes

Growth-related pain responds well, but to consistency rather than a single appointment. Here is the pathway most families follow.

1. 1

   Weeks one to four

   Settle it. Load is adjusted, footwear corrected, and relief such as a heel raise put in place with two or three key exercises. Many children feel noticeably better in this window.

2. 2

   Weeks four to eight

   Build tolerance. Strength and flexibility work progresses and sport is added back in steps. A review checks the exercises and adjusts around the fixture list. Orthotics, if prescribed, are fitted here.

3. 3

   Week eight onward

   Full training and games, with the strength work kept up through the growth phase, because the vulnerability persists until the growth plates mature.

4. 4

   Expected timeframes

   Sever's and Osgood-Schlatter often settle over six to twelve weeks, and can flare again in later growth spurts. If pain has not clearly improved by around six weeks, we reassess rather than repeat the same plan.

6 of 8 · Sever's disease (heel pain in active kids)

Sever's disease (heel pain in active kids)

Sever's disease, or calcaneal apophysitis, is irritation of the growth plate at the back of the heel where the Achilles attaches. It is the most common cause of heel pain in children, typically active kids aged eight to fourteen, and often appears just after a growth spurt. Management reduces tensile load through the growth plate while keeping your child playing.

• Pain at the back or sides of the heel after sport
• Tender when the sides of the heel bone are squeezed
• Often with tight calves, reduced ankle flexibility and toe walking
• Managed with load adjustment, cushioned footwear and heel raises
• Calf and foot strengthening plus flexibility work, orthotics if indicated
• Self-limiting as the growth plate matures, often settling in weeks

7 of 8 · Osgood-Schlatter (knee pain in growing athletes)

Osgood-Schlatter (knee pain in growing athletes)

Osgood-Schlatter is irritation of the growth plate at the tibial tuberosity, the bony bump below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches. It typically affects growing athletes around ten to fifteen in sports involving sprinting, jumping and kicking. Podiatry sits within a team approach here, and we refer and coordinate where physiotherapy or medical input is appropriate.

• A tender, sometimes prominent bump just below the kneecap
• Painful to kneel on, worse during and after activity and on stairs
• Sore after long periods sitting with the knee bent
• Managed with load adjustment, quadriceps and hip strengthening
• Footwear and orthotics where foot mechanics influence load through the knee
• Self-limiting as the plate matures, though a painless bump may remain

8 of 8 · Prevention

Prevention & Long-Term Development

Repeat episodes come from the same three places: load rising faster than tissue can adapt, footwear that has worn out or been outgrown, and strength work that stops the moment the pain does. Expect tolerance to drop during a growth spurt and plan for it.

1. 01Increase training volume gradually, particularly at pre-season
2. 02Keep one full rest day a week and a genuine off-season
3. 03Check footwear fit and wear regularly, since kids flatten shoes quickly
4. 04Continue calf, quadriceps and hip strength work after symptoms settle