Dr Phil Kieran: Are 'growing pains' a real thing?

The full medical term is 'idiopathic nocturnal pains of childhood' — and these pains might be caused by hypermobility or mechanical factors in the feet rather than a growth spurt

My 14-year-old wakes up during the night with leg pains, but is pain-free during the day. They are going through a growth spurt. Could they be experiencing what my mother used to call 'growing pains'?

Growing pains is a term we have almost all heard in our lives. Although it sounds old-fashioned, most of us know about it because teenage leg pain is common. The term was coined in the 1800s and has stuck around since, probably because it is easier to remember than the suggested medical term: idiopathic nocturnal pains of childhood.