Growing Pains

The term "growing pains" is often used [blank] refer to sore or aching limbs in children. According to a 2007 review, it is the most common cause of bone or muscle pain in adolescents. Some studies estimate [blank] affects more than one-third of kids. Yet for all this, there is no clear definition of what growing pains are, or what causes them. In fact, they may not be related to growth at all. A recent analysis [blank] studies about growing pains notes that the vast majority of papers - 93 per cent - make no mention of how the symptoms of bone or muscle pain are related to growth. "Kids and teens are being told they have growing pains, but that [blank] inaccurate based on our findings," says Mary O'Keeffe at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney in Australia. "If a health professional is giving a diagnosis, it needs to be based [blank] sound evidence. They need to be sure that growing is the cause, but we don't know this," says O'Keeffe.