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Detecting a hip cold in baby
Baby wakes up this morning limps or refuses to walk; he can no longer bend his leg because of the pain. We must then think of a hip cold. Benign and transient affection, hip cold is responsible for half of all cases of lameness in children.
What is a hip cold in babies?
It may seem surprising to you to associate cold and hip, yet the hip cold is a disease. Usually, it follows a “real” cold or nasopharyngitis. It’s about a hip joint inflammation, whose real name is “acute transient synovitis of the hip”, which affects children from the age of two. Baby will have pain in his leg, he will limp. Most of the time, the hip cold is one-sided. It is a mild disease that mainly affects little boys. After a few days, everything will be fine and the baby will walk normally.
How to diagnose baby’s hip cold?
You must consult your doctor or pediatrician who will prescribe an x-ray. It aims to confirm that there are no more serious problems like an osteochondritis fracture or an infection of the hip. Then, an ultrasound will show an effusion of fluid in the joint, it is this effusion that is responsible for the pain. Normal or mildly inflammatory blood tests will confirm that this is a hip cold. A follow-up x-ray will have to be redone after 6 weeks to achieve complete recovery of the baby.
How to treat a baby’s hip cold?
The treatment is quite simple, it is necessary to keep the baby lying down and prevent him from walking for several days. The doctor may prescribe analgesics such as paracetamol, or even anti-inflammatory drugs, to relieve the baby. In the majority of cases of hip cold, this treatment is sufficient. But in case of pain or too much stiffness, it will be necessary to immobilize the baby and exert a traction of the leg thanks to a specific apparatus. Which implies hospitalization for a few days.
The origin of hip cold being unclear, it is difficult to prevent its occurrence.