Lisa Humphrey, MD,
Director of Pediatric Palliative Care, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
How can parents tell when their child is in pain and know if he really needs pain relief medication?
Most children will experience pain at some point, especially after trauma or surgery. There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain tends to come on suddenly and typically does not last longer than a few hours to days. Chronic pain is pain that is present for greater than 6 weeks and sometimes persists despite treatment.
It is important not only to relieve discomfort, but to treat pain fully. That’s because research has found that acute pain that is not well controlled can actually turn into chronic pain.
Yet, a recent study suggests that many parents do not provide enough pain relief for their children after surgery. Researchers found that parents rated nearly nine out of 10 kids as having significant overall pain at home after routine tonsillectomy. But, during the first day home from the hospital, one in four children was given no pain medicine,
or just a single dose.
Experts suspect that parents do not give kids enough pain medicine because they worry that their children may become dependent on the medicine, they do not realize their children are in pain or they think that pain medicine should only be used as a last resort.
How to Recognize Pain in Children
It can be hard to know if children are in pain, especially if they are young or infants. Some clues that your child might have pain include these:
- Not interested in playing or moving about
- Favors a body part, such as not putting weight on a leg
- Seems distracted
- Is eating less than usual
- Is sleeping too much or too little
- Has eyes that look dull
- Has changes in breathing
- Acts needy
If you suspect that your child is in pain, try to find out what it feels like, where it hurts and how much it hurts. Ask young children to point to the places that hurt, either on themselves or a doll.
Provide Ample Pain Relief
The good news is that the pain usually goes away after you treat the problem that is causing it. Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, is prescribed most often for pain control in children. Always follow doctors’ orders to treat pain.