Five-year outcome of children with "growing pains": correlations with pain threshold.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the 5-year outcome in a cohort of children with "growing pains" and the association with changes in pain threshold.


METHODS
Subjects were 44 children with growing pains studied previously, and controls were 38 pain-free children matched by sex and age. Current status of growing pains and other pain syndromes were assessed by parental questionnaires. Pain threshold was measured with a Fisher-type dolorimeter. Outcomes were correlated with the pain threshold.


RESULTS
We examined 35/44 patients (80%) after 5 years. Eighteen patients (51%) experienced resolution of growing pains. In 14 of the 17 patients with persistent growing pains (83%), episodes were less frequent and milder. The prevalence of accompanying pain syndromes decreased from 20% to 14%. No patient developed fibromyalgia. Pain thresholds were similar in the entire growing pains cohort and healthy controls, but those with continued growing pains had significantly lower thresholds than controls (P <.05) and patients with resolved growing pains (P <.02).


CONCLUSIONS
We confirm that growing pains has a benign prognosis and probably represents a pain amplification syndrome of early childhood.
Uziel
Yosef
Y
Tel-Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel. uziely@zahav.net.il
Chapnick
Gil
G
Jaber
Lutfi
L
Nemet
Dan
D
Hashkes
Philip J
PJ
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017288:Pain Threshold