Drysdale Osteopathy • Hip Pain in Children

In children a condition called Perthes Disease is occasionally found. Common symptoms include hip, knee, or groin pain, exacerbated by hip/leg movement. The pain feels like a toothache. There is a reduced range of movement at the hip joint. There may be wasting of thigh muscles from disuse and a difference in leg length. Activity can irritate the damaged hip joint.

The first signs are complaints of soreness from the child, which are often dismissed as growing pains. The child may limp, particularly when tired. The pain is usually in the hip, but can also be felt in the knee. It is predominantly a disease of boys (4:1 ratio). Perthes is generally diagnosed between 5 and 12 years of age.

Congenital Hip Dislocation is a condition in which a child is born with a hip problem, and the formation of the hip joint is abnormal. The ball at the top of the thighbone is not stable within the socket. This abnormality may cause the ligaments of the hip to be loose or stretched. This condition is usually diagnosed around the time the child is born. Girls are most prone to getting this condition than boys. The cause of this condition is unknown.

Mild forms of Perthes Disease and CDH often go undetected, and predispose people to early Arthritic changes in the Hip Joint.

A well trained Osteopath will notice these conditions.