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Legg-Calve-Perthes disease - Symptom

Alternative Names

Coxa plana; Perthes disease

Symptoms:

The first symptom is often limping, which is usually painless. Sometimes there may be mild pain that comes and goes.

Other symptoms may include:

Hip stiffness that restricts movement in the hip
Knee pain
Limited range of motion
Persistent thigh or groin pain
Shortening of the leg, or legs of unequal length
Wasting of muscles in the upper thigh

Signs and tests:

During a physical examination, the health care provider will look for a loss in hip motion and a typical limp. A hip x-ray or pelvis x-ray may show signs of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. An MRI scan may be needed.

Blood supply to bone

Reviewed last on: 9/16/2010
Sameer Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Gough-Palmer A, McHugh K. Investigating hip pain in a well child. BMJ. 2007;334:1216-1217.

Hosalkar HS, Horn D, Friedman JE, Dormans JP. The hip. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap. 677.

Osteoarthritis

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