Vasilopoulou M, Spathis A, Myriokefalitakis N, Zaferopoulou F, Paspati I, Tsolia M. Development of a screening tool for children's growing pains: Validation, reliability control and clinical evaluation. Turk J Pediatr 2015; 57: 467-474.Growing pains (GP) is the most common musculoskeletal complaint in childhood. The present study describes the development, validation and clinical evaluation of a questionnaire for the detection of GP in the general children's population aged 4 -7 years of age. Based on the existing publications, a 27-point closed type questionnaire was developed and was administered to a parental population of school-age children for standardization. Nine questions evaluating pain localization, intensity and 24-hour temporal distribution, exhibited excellent validity and reliability and were finally selected. A cut-off point of >= 8 was proposed for GP's diagnosis.Questionnaire's sensitivity and specificity were studied in a sample of outpatient children attending an orthopedic clinic for lower limb pain of no apparent traumatic origin. The diagnosis of GP based on the questionnaire coincided with the orthopedic diagnosis in all cases. The proposed questionnaire is a reliable and valid screening tool for GP.
___
1. Uziel Y, Hashkes PJ. [Growing pains in children]. Harefuah 2008; 147: 809-811.
2. Peterson H. Growing pains. Pediatr Clin North Am 1986; 33: 1365-1372.
3. Lowe RM, Hashkes PJ. Growing pains: a noninflammatory pain syndrome of early childhood. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol 2008; 4: 542-549.
4. Evans AM. Growing pains: contemporary knowledge and recommended practice. J Foot Ankle Res 2008; 1: 4.
5. De Piano LP, Golmia R, Golmia A, et al. Diagnosis of growing pains in Brazilian pediatric population: a prospective investigation. Einstein 2010; 8: 430-432.
6. Evans AM, Scutter SD. Development of a questionnaire for parental rating of leg pain in young children: internal validity and reliability testing following triangulation. The Foot 2004; 14: 42-48.
7. Vassilopoulou M, Kritseli E, Myriokefalitakis N, Tsolia M. A growing pains. questionnaire: validation and reliability control. Arch Dis Child 2014; 99(Suppl 2): A238.
8. Vassilopoulou M., Spathis A., Paspati I., Tsolia M. A New Growing Pains Diagnostic Tool: Evaluation In A Mediterranean Clinical Sample. Arch Dis Child 2014; 99(Suppl 2): A567-A568.
9. Evans AM, Scutter SD. Prevalence of "growing pains" in young children. J Pediatr 2004; 145: 255-258.
10. Roth-Isigkeit A, Thyen U, Stoven H, Schwarzenberger J, Schmucker P. Pain among children and adolescents: restrictions in daily living and triggering factors. Pediatrics 2005; 115: 152-162.
11. Kaspiris A, Zafiropoulou C. Growing pains in children: Epidemiological analysis in a Mediterranean population. Joint Bone Spine 2009; 76: 486-490.
12. De Inocencio J. Epidemiology of musculoskeletal pain in primary care. Arch Dis Child 2004; 89: 431-434.