Small 13 Yr. Old Ds with Growing Pains

I have three sons and the shortest one was (he is deceased) was 6', the other two are 6'2" and 6'6" and there fastest growth periods were from 15 to 17. So tell you 13 year old to relax he has plenty of time.

My younger son is taller than my older one. It is how each grows.
As for the pain I have hear that magnisium and calicum will help. If they are growing pains, these should help.
C. B

All I can say is Tylenol! I had terrible growing pains when I was young. They are very painful!

I think they are growing pains my husband is 6'3 and when he was 14 he grew 12 inches in 1 year!! he said his legs feet and arms hurt really bad he would have his mom rub them. then next thing he knew he was 2 inches taller than everyone else in his family! tell your son to hang in there the pain will go away. you can make it easer on him by massaging his legs when they hurt. I hope this helps.

I definitely think it is growing pains. My little brother was the same way. We are all really tall in my family. All the men are AT LEAST 6'2'', my uncle is 6'6''. My little brother was always the smallest in his class until his Sophmore year of High School... he then was 6'2''! It all pretty much happened over a summer. Just make sure he get LOTS of vitamins... potassium and calcium especially. Because it is uncomfortable. Good Luck!

S., I raised two sons.
The older one was growing 'evenly', from smaller to bigger, with no pain.
The second one was about my size (1,5) until the 8th grade,
and then suddenly in one year shoot out much taller than me,
he did have pains very similar to what your son has...
So, there is a feeling this is the situation...
Just, feed him well, and make sure he gets enough sleep also,
as this helps A LOT.
Happy growing!

I have an 18 year old son, a 14 year old nephew, and three brothers, so I can tell you that 13 year old boys usually have a large growth spurt. My nephew moved away when he was 12 and I saw him almost 1 year later and did not recognize him, he was taller and thinner. My son went through the same thing at that age, although he got heavier and taller all at once.
For the pain, I would try bananas and possibly a potassium supplement. Or maybe an OTC med to take the edge off for him to be comfortable. I hope this helps.

I think you will be shopping for bigger clothes and shoes soon. It sure sounds like growing pains to me. My son is 12 and grew early (still growing) but he had lots of pain at times in his legs, knees and lately his elbows. If it gets really uncomfortalbe, I sometimes give him an OTC pain reliever to take the edge off or allow him to sleep. I do think it is wise to make sure he is getting plenty of fluids now and a multi vitamin is a good idea as well. Sometimes my son will be really hungry while growing but sometimes his appetite decreases and he just needs lots of sleep. I have a friend who grew almost a foot in one summer. I would imagine your son has many more growing years.

Hi S.,

I would take your son to the doctor for a physical to make sure everything is ok. You can never be too careful, I waited too long to go to the doctor once with lower back pain and had infected kidneys. I am a really healthy and active normal woman in my early 20's, so you never know what it could be? It was not worth the pain I went through. Not to scare you, but I would take him in.

Take care,
E.

As everyone says, it is probably growing pains. However, he shouldn't have to suffer. You need to give him ibuprofen or Alieve 2-4 times a day and expecially when he goes to bed.

There are a number of topical rubs that you can buy for him to rub on the joints or muscles that hurt really bad for a temporary relief.

Treat his pain just like you would treat your if you over did and hurt your lower back, or lifted something too quickly and now you can hardly bend your elbow.

My daughter had pains around the age of 10 and 2 aspirin did the trick so you could go that route too.

He might have these pains for a couple of years, off and on, so be ready with the meds.

Happy Valentines day to you!

Marciab
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PLEASE take him to the Doctor. He's in pain and needs to have a professional opinion.

S.,

While it may sound a little crazy to you, try getting massage therapy to help with the growing pains. Sometimes the muscles basically can't keep up with the bone growth causing lots of pain and possibly longer term issues. The bones are growing faster than the muscles can stretch when this happens.

I know... you probably don't get a lot of massage for yourself and it sounds like a crazy treat, but take it from someone who went through this herself around his age. Getting massage made a big difference to me and my comfort level.

Feel free to send me a note if you have any questions or want more info.

I think you should just watch and see for a little while longer, if the pain increases in intensity, I would definatly take him to the DR's . I am a wait a little and see kind of parent, then go to the DR if it changes. Our middle son has been the same up until about a year ago, and he has grown 5 inches in a year and he always has aches and pains, he is very athletic so I always chalked it up to that but it might have growing pains too....I didn't think of that, of course he is a bit of a hypochondriac(sp). Wait and see and if your gut says something is wrong then I would take him in.

I agree with the last one on what to try, but Potassium also helped me when I had growing pains. Try the vitamins a few days before trying pain killers. They take longer to work, but they are something you need naturally. I ate a lot of bananas and drank a lot of milk.

My son started growning at age 15. Prior to that he was always very short (like mom) and then he started growing and now is is over 6ft tall. I use to get leg pains also from growing and it was very painful. My mother put bengay on (check to see if it is save since I thought something was coming up about it's safety, or it might have been anther product. It did help me..

Hi,
My name is L....and I to had this problem as a kid...I was 5'9" in the 6th grade...and hurt all the time... Was taken to the dr. and given a list of 'exercises' and some pain reducers...(I think it was tylenol...) any way I now have a niece(age 7) and grandson(age 12) who have this problem...growing faster then normal....I would suggest you take your son to the dr. just to make sure there are no other problems... and then see about a mild pain reducer and exercise....easy and relaxing....yoga helps... My best wishes for a postive attitude...and yes new clothes that FIT.....it is really hard to fit tall kids....but they feel more comfortable with clothes that fit and look good....good luck...

Sarah,
I have three boys and I come from a very TALL family. My brother is 6'8" So I have learned a few secrets. When your son gets growing pains feed him potassim... BANANA, ORANGE JUICE... My boys know the instant their calves start hurting, they eats a banana. This will dull the pain. The muscels are stretching over the bone as the bones is growing at a rapid rate, and the stretching is causing the pain. Sometimes I also give them some pain med with the banana. This works!!!!

Dear S.,
It would be nice for your son to catch up to the rest of the family!
My son is 6'7" and I don't remember him having growing pains, but his finance, 6'2" complained this last year (she's 20 now) about pain in her legs- she says it always happens to her just before she sprouts a few more inches. She said that she grew 1" last year just after an episode! She hopes she is done growing. At least she still has a long way to go to catch up to my son!

I would suggest GOOD vitamins and a diet rich in calcium foods, not just rely on milk, but broccoli, dark green veggie salads etc. I know that sometimes it is easier said than done. It may help a lot with the pain of growing. And protein helps with muscle development as well. If the pain persists, of course, see a Physician, especially if you see a change in appetite (lessening) or any malaise- fatigue.

I don't know about how you have found clothes to fit your husband, but we found it nearly impossible to keep up with my son's growth. He had shoe size 17- we called them "boats"- I thought they looked more like clown shoes!

My husband and I have laughed because we have grown children all sizes- the oldest daughter and 16yr old daughter are 5'3" with my second daughter, 5"10". We have grown sons that range from 5'10" to 6"7". My husband is 5'11" and I am 5"8". Our children are all different sizes, all from the same Dad and Mom. We still have three that we are watching closely for any surprises. I just love 'em anyway they come!

It's always interesting being a parent- never a dull moment- I know you understand!

Take Care,
H. B. MOM (mother of many-9)

Measure his height as accurately as you can today, and then again in two weeks. I bet he grows. My brother grew 10 inches in less then a year and this is exactly what he did. My son is 7 and weighs only 40 lbs and wears a 5t pant. I have had the tests done and they say he just "developmental growth delayed" which means he will eventually grow like a weed to catch up to all his peers--they said right around the age or 12 or 13.

I bet his pants will be too short in just a few weeks.

All of my children have had, and still have growing pains. They range in ages 7-15. They all started having pains around 4yrs of age. The best thing is to massage the area and some Ben Gay from the drug store, and if it gets real bad IBprofen. Make sure they drink plenty of water. Good Luck

Sounds like you have your hands busy...If I were you I would just make an appt with the doc just to rule out any problems. It's not like your over worried but perhaps the doc can recomend suppliments for the growing pains or what ever....Keep up the lullabys, A.

Sounds like our family, I was 4' 8" graduating JR High, and was 5'6" beginning Highschool. Everyone in our family goes from being a head shorter than everyone in class to a head Taller. So with that said, if it were my son (or when it is my son because he's 12 and still pretty short) I will probably assume its growning pains aslong as no other symptoms of an illness is apparent. Its painful to grow so fast. Good luck to you and him.

Your son is probably hitting his major growth spurt. It's normal for the younger one to be a little taller for a time being and i would prepare for LOTS of shopping trips. He can grow as fast as a few inches a month or less also for his pain i strongly suggest advil and sleep!

I have a friend in the medical profession who said it isn't unusual for kiddos to shoot up 1/2 inch in two days. No wonder they hurt! Keep track of his height and treat his pain with OTC painkillers. Warm baths can also help and will have the happy side effect of having a clean 13 year old.

M.