Diagnostic Approach
The diagnosis of the cause of a limp is often made based on history, physical exam findings, laboratory tests, and radiological examination. If a limp is associated with pain it should be urgently investigated, while non-painful limps can be approached and investigated more gradually. Young children have difficult determining the location of leg pain thus in this population ‘‘knee pain equals hip pain’’. A SCFE can usually be excluded on an xray of the hips. A ultrasound or xray guided aspiration of the hip joint maybe required to rule out an infectious process within the hip.
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