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Hip Pain in Children
How does the hip work?
Your hip is a very stable and strong joint. It is known as a ball-and-socket joint. This is because the top of the thigh bone (the femur) is shaped like a ball. This ‘ball’ sits inside a hollow socket in your pelvis. Ball-and-socket joints give the most movement of all the different types of joints in the body.
The hip joint gets stability from a strong covering of muscles, tendons and ligaments. The socket is also made deeper by an extra rim, called the labrum, increasing the stability.
The hip muscles help move the joint, supporting your leg and upper body movement. The hip joint allows you to move your leg forwards, backwards, out to the side, across your body as well as rotating. A layer of cartilage on the surface of the bones allows smooth movement and acts as a shock absorber.
As the hip joint is very deep and there is a lot of muscle support, it is usually very stable.
If your child is limping and develops any of the following signs you should urgently call 111 who will triage if your child needs urgent care:
- Sudden onset pain in their hip, thigh or knee
- Unable to put any weight on their leg to stand or walk
- The leg has changed shape or is pointing at an odd angle
- Generally unwell with a high temperature, feeling hot and shivery
- Severe pain in the lower part of their tummy
- Symptoms are getting worse
Causes of Pain
Pain treatments
Self Help
Causes of Pain
Most of the time there is a very simple explanation for hip pain.
If your child has a problem with their hip joint, they may feel pain in the groin, the buttock, down the front of the leg and/or in the knee. Sometimes knee pain is the only sign of a hip problem – this is called referred pain or radiated pain.
There are some conditions affecting the hip joint which are specifically seen in children and young people, such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), Perthes’ disease and Slipper Upper Femoral Epiphysis (SUFE).
If your child’s symptoms do not improve please seek a physiotherapy referral.
Pain treatments
It is normal to experience mild pain and some children will require pain relief like Paracetamol or anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen.
See NHS 111 Wales guidelines here on pain relief.
You can also seek advice from your local pharmacy.
Self Help
Keeping active is an essential part of your child’s treatment and recovery and is the single best thing they can do for their health.
For some conditions, certain activities may need to be avoided during particular stages of the healing process. A physiotherapist will give you specific advice for your child if this is the case.
Being physically active throughout their recovery can:
- Prevent the problem happening again
- Maintain your child’s current levels of fitness – even if you have to modify what they normally do, any activity is better than none
- Keep your child’s other muscles and joints strong and flexible
- Keep your child at a healthy body weight
- Encourage your child’s ongoing development of important motor skills
It’s recommended your child stays at or returns to school as quickly as possible during their recovery. Your child’s physiotherapist can work with you and your child’s school to
help support your child’s physical needs if required.
Within the first 24 to 48 hours after a hip problem has started you should try to:
- Rest your child’s hip but avoid long spells of not moving at all
- Encourage your child to move their hip gently for 10 to 20 seconds every hour when they are awake
- If your child has a muscle or ligament injury this video from “The Running Clinic” can help support, you in managing your recovery.
After 48 hours:
- Encourage your child to slowly return to normal activity
- Do whatever your child normally would including staying at or returning to school if possible
- Avoid sports or heavy lifting until your child has less discomfort and good movement. When they do return to sport, remember to warm up fully before they start
- If your child’s symptoms do not improve please seek medical advice.
Further information
If you have any concerns or queries about your child’s recovery please contact Dolphin Outpatients on 02921 847577.
If your child does not have an appointment arranged with physio and symptoms continue or are not improving gradually, then you can self-refer your child to the Paediatric physiotherapy outpatient department by telephoning our referral line on 02921 836908.
