My 4 year old son often wakes up with leg cramps in the middle of the night and he needs a heating pad or some advil to settle him to go down. I have noticed it is normally occurring on nights he plays baseball. Is there anything I can do to help him avoid the leg cramps ahead of time, so he doesn’t lose sleep? Is this likely normal growing pains, or a sign of something worse?
Growing pains are quite common in pediatrics and can occur during periods of rapid growth. Usually, anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen (Advil), a gentle massage, and a heating pad will help alleviate the pain. Growing pains should never be associated with a limp or fever. Should these symptoms occur, or should your child develop any visible redness or swelling of a joint call your doctor and seek care immediately. Overuse injuries can also occur from athletics, but I would not expect this to be the case with a 4-year-old, as these injuries occur more frequently in organized sports at both the competitive and elite levels.
