Some Growing Pains Never Go Away

Growing pains can chronically persist for some individuals. A recent study published in the journal BMC Pediatrics found that many adolescents deal with continuing knee issues that can lead to osteoarthritis if not properly treated. 

"We can see from the study that one in three young people between the ages of 12 and 19 experience problems with pain in their knees. Seven percent of the adolescents experience daily knee pain in the front of the knee," said physiotherapist and PhD Michael Skovdal Rathleff from Aarhus University, in a news release. "More than half still have problems after two years, so it is not something they necessarily grow out of."

For the study, researchers examined 3,000 adolescents who had shown symptoms of knee pain; a health issue that can become chronic if not properly treated early on.

"Our findings show that these adolescents have as much pain symptoms and reduced quality of life as adolescents on a waiting list for a cruciate knee ligament reconstruction, or as a 75-year-old six months after receiving a new knee.

"Secondly, we can see that this group of adolescents often stop doing sport because of the knee pain. This is, of course, extremely unfortunate, because we know that it is very difficult to start again once you have stopped," added Skovdal Rathleff.

Other surveys related to the health issue have shown that as many as one-third of adults suffer from pain in their knees. Close to another 25 percent of the patients who have received new knees due to osteoarthritis of the kneecap also stated that they suffered from significant knee pain as an adolescent

Researchers said they believe that treatments for osteoarthritis of the kneecap need to begin sooner in order to prevent severity of the health issue down the road. With the proper training and exercise, most dealing with the health issue can expect to see the pain disappear.