Is It Growing Pains or an Overuse Injury?

Every parent of a teenage athlete has to make this call at some point, usually at 9pm when their kid mentions their knee hurts again. The distinction genuinely matters, and there are useful ways to tell.

What growing pains usually look like

Vague, changeable, often in both legs, frequently in the evening or overnight, and not clearly tied to a particular activity. They tend to move around and they do not usually stop a child doing what they want to do.

What an overuse injury looks like

Specific and repeatable. The same spot, brought on by the same activity, in the limb that does the work. A hitter’s shoulder. A jumper’s knee. An ankle that has been rolled more than once.

Be especially careful about assuming growth pain if your child has been playing a single sport year-round. In volleyball, knee pain and repeated ankle sprains are the common complaints, and neither is caused by growing.

The four stages of overuse

Knowing where your athlete sits tells you how urgent this is.

• Pain in the area after physical activity, with none during it
• Pain during activity that does not restrict performance
• Pain during activity that does restrict performance
• Chronic, persistent pain even at rest

The first stage is quick to resolve. The fourth costs months. Almost everyone gets seen somewhere around the third.

What happens if it is overuse

A complete movement and biomechanics evaluation, to see how the athlete actually moves. The joint that hurts is usually compensating for one that is not doing its job, and treating only the painful joint is why these problems return the following season.

Ask us about our Athlete Movement Index examination. And if the answer genuinely is growing pains, we will tell you that too, which is worth knowing rather than guessing.

If your athlete has mentioned the same joint more than twice, get it looked at before the season decides for you. Call or text us on (224) 858-5161, or request an appointment. No referral needed in Illinois.