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HIP PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE, PRECAUTIONS
28 April 2009
by
admin
Filed under
General health
AND TREATMENT
Signs and symptoms
All the three conditions described above cause pain in the hip accompanied by a limp. It is important to note, however, that pain in the knee can also indicate a hip problem. In rare cases, synovitis may be accompanied by a slight fever; the other two conditions do not produce fever. In all three conditions the hip joint is limited in one or more of its movements: stretching and flexing, rotating inward or outward, or movement toward and away from the midline (adduction and abduction).
Home care
The child should stay off his or her legs for three or four days. (Note that crawling rather than walking does not keep weight off the hip). If the condition does not seem to be corrected after three to four days of rest, consult the doctor.
• If your child complains of pain in the knee consider the possibility of a hip disease.
• Marked pain, a limp and high fever may be symptoms of a serious form of arthritis and require medical attention.
• Consult the doctor if the child’s hip pain is accompanied by a high fever.
Medical treatment
The doctor will examine the child carefully and may order hip X rays. However, synovitis rarely shows at all on an X ray, and early Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and slipped epiphysis do not always show on X rays. The doctor may suggest that the child continue bed rest, either at home or in the hospital. In the hospital traction (immobilizing the leg) may be prescribed and X rays taken at intervals so that the doctor can monitor the child’s progress. Tests for arthritis may also be performed. Slipped epiphysis always requires surgery. Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is treated by having the child keep weight off the legs and not walk for a period of months until the condition heals; sometimes surgery is necessary.
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