Whether it's general soreness in your daughter's back and shoulders from overdoing her butterfly stroke or a painful cramp in the calf muscle that awakens your son from a sound sleep, the pains that plague kids can range from mild to severe. Frequently, muscle aches strike active kids who like to exert themselves. When kids who are unused to exercise try to push themselves to keep up in gym class or at play with their friends, they often overuse their muscles,'' says George H. Durham II, M.D., a pediatrician at the Bryner Clinic and a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, both in Salt Lake City. When to See the Doctor A muscle pain or cramp is rarely cause for worry, according to Flavia Marino, M.D., a clinical instructor in pediatrics at New York University Medical Center, Tisch Hospital, and a pediatrician in New York City. But she says you should alert your child's physician if the pain is very severe, is recurrent or is accompanied by fever, sore throat , a rash, abdominal pain, joint swelling, weight loss or a loss of strength in the muscle.
Muscle aches can afflict kids any time of the day or night.
You can't prevent all muscle aches and cramps, but by following these steps you can help your child feel more comfortable. Be sure to wrap the ice-pack in a towel so it won't freeze the skin. Beat the heat with liquids. Heat cramps are preventable, doctors say. Your child can avoid cramping by drinking plenty of liquids during exercise, especially in the hot weather,'' says Dr. Halpern.