If Your 1-5 Year Old Child Is Limping, a Flu-Like Infection May Be the Cause!

If your child has only recently started walking, every step is very important to you. But if they are limping and you notice they have body aches, be very careful. Because if they are limping without having experienced any trauma such as a fall or a bump, the hip joint may be undergoing a toxic inflammation (transient synovitis).

We spoke with specialists from the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department of Hisar Hospital Intercontinental about toxic inflammation of the hip joint, which is seen especially in children of walking age and should not be neglected…

The experts, noting that because a child who has just started walking has more elastic bones, fractures are rare despite frequent falls, stated: “With twisting-type rotational forces, a ‘toddler’s fracture’ (toddler fracture) may occur in a newly walking child. This fracture causes a spiral-type crack in the shin bone (tibia), which can make diagnosis difficult. If there is no trauma, the most common cause of limping in children aged 1-5 years is a condition called ‘Transient Synovitis’ (Toxic Synovitis). Viral upper respiratory tract infections such as the flu affect the hip joint in children. The child has not had a fall or trauma, and the family does not report any history of trauma. However, on investigation, it can be found that the child had a flu-like infection or upper respiratory tract inflammation within the last 3 weeks or so. Limping develops as a result of the involvement of the joint tissues (synovitis), with an increase in fluid in the hip joint caused by the toxins of the viruses. There is either no fever or only a mild one. On clinical examination, rotating the hip inward and outward is painful. Radiological and laboratory tests are normal; a slight increase in joint fluid and lymphocytes is seen in the hip joint.

Treatment consists of rest and painkillers. The disease resolves on its own within 1 week. However, a child who is limping should still be taken to an orthopaedic specialist, because a fracture or dislocation after an overlooked trauma can cause limping and crying while walking. In addition, acute septic arthritis, a bacterial infection of the hip joint that presents with high fever, malaise and redness of the joint, is also common in this age group. Apart from these, childhood rheumatic joint involvement (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) and bone tumors can also cause limping in this age group. For these reasons, limping in children aged 1-5 years should never be neglected.”