Interestingly, the most common cause of hip pain in children can be triggered by an upper respiratory or intestinal infection. — dpa
Your child wasn’t injured, but suddenly starts limping due to hip or leg pain on one side of the body.
What could be wrong? Could it be serious?
Chances are the culprit is transient synovitis (TS), the most common cause of hip pain in children.
Also known as toxic synovitis, coxitis fugax, or simply, irritable hip, it’s an inflammation of the lining of the hip joint and will usually get better on its own.
Parents should nevertheless consult a doctor to rule out other, more serious, possible causes, says German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) president Dr Maximilian Rudert.
One is septic arthritis, an orthopaedic emergency that can cause permanent joint damage if not treated promptly.
Here are answers to some questions that parents may have:
TS is most common in children between three and 10 years old, and usually occurs two or three weeks after a viral infection of the upper respiratory or gastrointestinal tract, the DGOU says.
A sign of the condition is when the child has trouble bearing weight on the affected leg, but is otherwise well.
There’s an 80% chance that the symptoms will disappear within four days, according to the DGOU.
Children with TS generally receive a standard pain reliever or no treatment at all.
A splinter or other foreign body may be lodged in the sole of the child’s foot, or the child may have been injured in a fall.
Older children should be able to explain this.
In the case of younger ones, parents should look for a splinter or bruise.
Putting pressure on the affected area with your finger will elicit a painful reaction.
Limping children of nursery school age may have what’s commonly called a toddler’s fracture – a hairline fracture in the tibia (the large bone in the lower leg).
There are many other possible causes of sudden limping in children, including rheumatic diseases and a circulatory problem in the head of the femur (thigh bone).
A doctor should assess the symptoms and their severity.
If a limping child feels generally unwell or has a fever, parents should have a paediatric orthopaedist take a look, the DGOU advises.
The same goes if pain continues at night and increases regardless of any stress put on the leg.
And if an otherwise healthy child’s symptoms last longer than seven days, with the parents being unable to detect an injury or figure out what’s causing the pain, they should take the child to a doctor. – dpa
