Why do we get growing pains?

Jane Lindholm (0:20)

This is But Why, a podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. On this show, we take questions from curious kids just like you and we find answers.

Our bodies are always changing. Even as an adult, your body changes, but the changes are especially noticeable and fast when you're a kid. We have a doorway in my house where our family measures our height every six months or so. My height stays the same every time, but my kids have grown an inch every time we check. A lot of kids grow three or four inches in just one year when they hit their growth spurt. But not everybody experiences these changes at the same time. So it's no surprise that a lot of you are wondering, what is the deal with how we grow and why we stop?

Let's talk with someone who can help demystify the business of growing.

Zurisadai Gonzalez Castillo (1:12)

My full name is Zurisadai Gonzalez Castillo.

Jane Lindholm (1:15)

Dr. Gonzalez is a pediatric neurologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Zurisadai Gonzalez Castillo (1:22)

And what that means is that I am that doctor that takes care of the brain and the nerves for kids. And you can think of the nerves as those wirings that go all over your body to help you move and send messages to your body.

Jane Lindholm (1:39)

Neurologists like Dr. Gonzalez study the brain and the system in our body to make sure the messages from your brain get where they need to go. That system is called the nervous system. And we should actually talk about the nervous system for just a second, because it's amazing. We have this system that can carry messages between our brain and the rest of our body, and growing is all about how the brain communicates with our body.

Your nervous system is made up of two main parts. The first is called the central nervous system, which is your brain and your spinal cord. Dr. Gonzalez says you can think of the central nervous system as the command center for your body. The other part is called the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves that come off your brain and spinal cord and run through your body. These nerves are really important because they're the ones that get those signals out to faraway places like your fingertips and your toes or your eyes.

Here's an example of how your nervous system works. Let's say I'm out running around playing with my friends, and at the last second, I see a puddle and I'm about to hit it, but I don't want to get my sneakers wet, so at the very last second, I quickly lift up and sail over it and jump clear of the puddle. I don't even really think about it. I mean, it happens in a flash. But Dr. Gonzalez says there's a lot going on in my brain and body to make sure that I didn't get my sneakers wet.

Zurisadai Gonzalez Castillo (3:06)

Yeah, right. That is actually pretty complex because everything starts in your brain, but that idea has to become actually a signal and go run through that neuron or cell, that worker that is going to transmit or send that signal all the way down to your spinal cord, to those big nerves or wiring, then get into your muscle and tell your muscle, that engine, to move, hey, let's jump and have fun. So, it sounds easy and yes, we don't think about it, but it's a very complex thing that happens inside our brain and our peripheral nervous system.

Our whole body works as a team. Yes, the nervous system is amazing, but we wouldn't be able to do the things that we do without our heart beating and sending blood, or us breathing while our muscles move. So, it is amazing.

Jane Lindholm (4:08)

We humans are complex creatures. All right, let's get down to the business of growing.

SPEAKER_3 (4:13)

Hi, my name is Sophie. I'm five years old. I am from Kansas City. I want to know how bodies grow.

My name is Cosmo, and I'm four years old.

SPEAKER_4 (4:28)

I live in London, and my question is, how do you grow? I love the show.

Hi, my name is Aton. I'm ten years old, and I live in Israel, and this is my sister. Hello, my name is Tarlin.

SPEAKER_3 (4:43)

I'm six and a half, and we're curious about...

SPEAKER_4 (4:46)

How do people grow?

SPEAKER_3 (4:47)

Hello, my name is Amelia, and I'm five years old, and I live in downtown New York. My name is Evely, and I'm four years old.