Decreased pain threshold in children with growing pains.

[Guest guest]

Decreased pain threshold in children with growing pains.

Hashkes PJ, Friedland O, Jaber L, Cohen HA, Wolach B, Uziel Y.

Section of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatic Diseases,

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.

PMID: 14994414

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether children with recurrent musculoskeletal

pain termed growing pains (GP) have lower pain thresholds than children

without GP.

METHODS: We measured the pain threshold of 44 children with GP and 46

controls. Pain thresholds were measured by use of a Fisher type dolorimeter

with pressure applied to areas associated with increased tenderness in

fibromyalgia (FM), control points, and anterior tibia, the usual region of

pain in children with GP. Unpaired Student's t test and chi-square tests

were used to compare the pain threshold and number of tender points in

patients and controls.

RESULTS: The pain threshold in characteristic tender points of FM, control

points, and anterior tibia in the children with GP was significantly lower

in children with GP (3.5 +/- 0.6 kg/cm2 in GP versus 4.0 +/- 0.7 in

controls, p < 0.001, 3.8 +/- 0.7 versus 4.4 +/- 0.8, p = 0.005; 5.1 +/- 1.1

versus 5.9 +/- 1.5, p = 0.004). Children with GP had a significantly

greater number of tender points in response to an applied pressure of 4

kg/cm2.

CONCLUSION: Children with GP have more tender points and lower pain

thresholds than children without GP indicating that GP may represent a

variant of a noninflammatory pain syndrome in younger children.

------ End of Forwarded Message