Q My child cries every night saying their legs hurt. Why do growing pains occur?
A Pain occurs when the supply of Qi and blood cannot keep up with the rapid growth of bones and muscles.
Detailed Answer
Growing pains are a common type of pain in growing children, concentrated particularly in the knees, calves, and thighs in the evening or at night. They are characterized by being more severe on days with high activity levels, and disappearing as if nothing happened after sleeping.
Perspective of a Korean Medicine Clinic
In Korean medicine, growing pains are explained as Kidney Qi Deficiency (Shen Qi Xu). The Kidney governs bones and bone marrow; as the growth rate accelerates, pain occurs because Kidney Qi and Qi and blood are not sufficiently supplied to the growth plates. By replenishing Kidney Qi with herbal medicines that nourish kidney energy and adding medicinal herbs that nourish bones and muscles, such as Dipsacus japonicus, Achyranthes root, and Eucommia bark, the condition can be replenished from the root.
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