Lameness

Lameness in childhood can be caused by one of many causes, but its symptoms are often similar. The kid has an unusual manner of walking( gait), because he incorrectly distributes the weight of his body on two legs. There may be pain, weakness, or defect, which cause the child to transfer his weight to the affected side, so it seems that the child walks with one foot on the sidewalk, and the other - on the carriageway.

When the pain is felt, the affected area can be

thigh, knee, ankle, foot. Regardless of where the source of pain lies and whether it is at all, lameness is always a deviation from the norm.

Possible causes of

The most common causes of lameness are the least dangerous. These can be:

• injury or injury to the feet or feet that cause temporary lameness;

the child could turn a toe;

walk too much;

• uncomfortable or new unbalanced shoes;

• ingrown or wrapped nail;

skin damage when cutting nails;

plantar wart;corn.

When determining the cause of lameness, the doctor usually questions what the child did in the last days, finds out if he has pain, and if so, where( the definition of pain localization is very important for correct diagnosis and treatment).

Painful limp often indicates a particular trauma - bruising, stretching, fracture, infection or inflammation. Chronic limp without pain will indicate congenital pathology, neuromuscular disease or an old trauma that has not completely healed.

The doctor is likely to take into account the child's age, because some types of injuries leading to claudication are most characteristic of children of certain ages.

For example, very young children may limp due to diseases such as inflammation of the membranes in the joint, for example, in the hip joint( toxic synovitis), sepsis( reactions of the body to bacteria in the blood), children's rheumatoid arthritis or fracture of the tibia.

Children of older age( up to 12 years old) may suffer from inflammation of the lining of the joints. In addition, they may have a so-called non-tuberculous disease of the hip joint. It most often affects children between the ages of two and twelve. This condition, which can affect one or both legs, is characterized by pain in the pelvis, hip, knee or groin. Sometimes there is a displacement of the main femoral epiphysis, affecting the femur in the hip joint. Such a lesion usually occurs in adolescents 10-16 years old, and its usual symptoms are leg pain and lameness.

In addition to the above diseases, below are a few more common injuries and their accompanying symptoms.

Injury of any large bone

leg

A punch in the shin bone or shin can cause bruising in the muscles or fracture.

Pain can be caused, for example, by bruising, cuts, ligament inflammation or fractures. Fracture often occurs in the non-growing part of the bone or in the pituitary.

Injuries of the epiphysis, especially if they are repeated in the same place, can affect the growth of the corresponding part of the skeleton. Therefore, it is always important for the doctor to find out whether the epiphysis is affected. In this regard, a particular problem is small children. They usually do not suffer from stretching, although an ankle or other joint injury can very much resemble stretching. Bundles in children are usually strong, and the epiphyses in the joints are fragile and weak. Therefore, what seems to be a stretch is actually a fracture of the bone, or, more seriously, a fracture of the epiphysis.

Often parents themselves can preliminarily determine the nature and severity of lameness. Be sure to ask the child the following questions:

do you feel pain?

where does it hurt?

One way to get an answer to these questions is to try to move each part of the injured leg to determine the exact location of the pain. First, stir the toes, then the ankle, then the knee, and finally the hip joint.

Note: is there anything on the surface of the skin that can cause pain? For example, you can see corns that indicate that the shoe is cramped or uncomfortable. Either cuts are visible, or foreign bodies have stuck into the skin.

In many cases, parents themselves can eliminate the source of lameness. But do not experiment with treatment, if the cause of lameness remains unclear to you, you have no experience or relevant knowledge. It is better to see a doctor in time.

The doctor will give simple instructions in those cases when a healthy child in other respects suddenly has a small lameness. For example, a minor inflammation of the Achilles heel( a large, rope-like bundle above the heel at the back of the foot) can strike a particularly active and agile child. His complaints are often related to the fact that the child ran too much on that day or, perhaps, walked in boots with a worn out heel, which led to a stretching of the ligament. All that is required in this case is one or two days of rest or other footwear.

The doctor will first ask you and the child to tell how the lameness started. He will want to know how much time the child is limping, the degree of pain( if any), the alleged cause of lameness( for example, sports trauma).

The physician will then proceed to a physical examination, during which the

will ask the child to walk through the cabinet, up and down the stairs. Perhaps the doctor will ask the child to stand alternately on one leg. The doctor will try to determine which part of the lameness is due to the pain, and which can arise from other causes, for example, because of muscle weakness or neuromuscular disease.

If it is clear that the cause of lameness is simple, for example a splinter in the foot or close shoes, you can quickly cope with the situation yourself.

If it seems to you that you can not fix the situation, then consult a doctor.

pain is minor, but its cause is not clear or the pain does not respond to home treatment;

the child can do his usual business;the child does not experience pain at night.

the child has fever, severe pain;

a damaged leg can not move without pain;there is a tumor on the leg;

to the child because of lameness it is necessary to limit the activity;

the child asks for funds to calm the pain( every three to four hours).

pain is so strong that it is difficult for a child to walk;

, there are obvious signs of fracture of the leg, such as a deformed leg or bone that protrudes through the skin.

In addition, the doctor will examine the causes of inflammation, the presence of fever, swelling, unusually hot skin, tenderness when touching.

Depending on how the examination is performed, the doctor can prescribe a radiograph, a blood test, other laboratory tests. The doctor will address to the children's orthopedist who could specify diagnostics and prescribe therapy. Then a long painstaking treatment will follow, hospitalization and treatment with antibiotics may be possible intravenously for infection in the bone or joints, gypsum in fractures.