Growing Pains

The term "growing pains" is often used to refer to [blank] 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 it affects more than one-third of kids. Yet for all this, there is no clear [blank] of what growing pains are, or what causes them. In fact, they may not be related to growth at all. A recent analysis of studies about growing pains notes that the [blank] 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 is 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 on [blank] evidence. They need to be sure that growing is the cause, but we don't know this," says O'Keeffe.