clicking hip

[roadkillbunny]

Hi, this may be nothing at all so wanted to get some advice before I make a doctors appointment for my ds.
My ds who is 2 years 4 months old clicks his right hip, for example if he is laying on my lap having a cuddle he rotates his right leg out to the side and I can hear and to a point feel his right hip litraly click.
There is a history of hip problems on both sides of the family so when he was 6 weeks old he had a hip scan which was fine. I can't see any diference in the length of his legs and do't know what I am looking for when it comes to leg creases however he spends alot of time with his left foot flat on the floor and on his tip toes an the right.
I am really not sure if there is a problem here, if he had not had a hip scan at 6 weeks I think I wouldn't hesitate to take him to the docs but the more he clicks his hip the more I wonder, can the scans be wrong or can the scans be right that at six weeks all looks good but as they grow and learn to walk problems can develop?
Can any one offer me any advice on this, my GP has a history of being very dismisive so I worry about taking ds to the docs only to be told he had a scan and it was fine. Thanks in advance x

[roadkillbunny]

bump

anyone?

After posting this I made a docs appointment for tomorrow, I read a couple of other bits and got an idea what the leg crease thing is about, stipped off ds's shorts and nappy and watched him, he has an extra crease on his right leg.
I can't find anything anywhere about the possibility of all apearing fine on a new born ultrasound but problems developing later on, just starting to feel so so worried

[roadkillbunny]

bump

last ditch attempt to get any info before doc appointment this morning, please, please, anybody know anything about this?????

[cory]

Sorry, missed this before. Hips can change after the 6 weeks check, so well worth having it rechecked if you think there is a problem later on. Ds' 6 weeks results were fine: 8 years later, he was having difficulty walking because of clicky (hypermobile hip).

[roadkillbunny]

Thanks so much Cory, that what I wanted to know, just got back from the doc, ds was not in the mood to be examaned properly but for once the doc listened to what I had to say and said that if I had seen/heard/felt these things he was happy they were there, he told me he was going to talk to the hospital and hopefully get an x-ray done, thats all I want, I am hoping to god this is nothing but I have been wathing him closely and have added more to my list of worries, his gait while not terrible is uneven (but this might just be him!) and he will occationaly stop, say oww and hold his hip, his speech is very delayed for his age so it's imposible to ask him how it feels, and I guess for him it would be normal sigh I hope the doc gets back to me soon, he has a history of saying he will talk to someone and get back to me and then failing to do so, I was wondering how long I should leave him to get back to me before following up, baring in mind he is retiring (finally!) on the 31st of this month, so if I haven't heard should I call him before this date even though it's less then two weeks? sorry rambeling, so worried and have no way of doing anything really, feel very helpless

[cory]

It could be something fairly minor that will improve with physio or something- well worth looking into. You've done the right thing. Ds didn't tell us for years that all his joints hurt, because he thought that was normal. And I can already see that the physio programme is helping him and he is getting stronger.

[SparkleRainbow]

I am sorry I missed you post, I am glad you got to the gp's. Yes I agree with Cory hip status can change even after the 6 week check/scan, we have personal experience of this. I would not wait longer than a week before chasing the appointment. Where are you? Where we are our gp gives out an xray form and sends us to the hospital that day when we need to go, she would also have done a referral straight away to a paediatrician. The xray needs to be looked at by a specialist, not just by the gp. Who is taking over from your gp in two weeks? Alternatively do you have any drop in centres near you, that you could visit and perhaps get sent for an xray and referral there and then, I haven't used a drop in centre, but presumably they could do this?

Good luck, hope he comes through for you before he retires.

[roadkillbunny]

We are in Oxfordshire, this GP can be really tricky, he likes to 'consult' with people at the hospital (who I don't know or if he makes it ip to see if we go away I don't know) before doing any referals it seems to get their opinion he is a really old fasioned village GP and everyone in the village can't wait to see the back of him, I would think his patients in town and other villages probably feel the same!
I will follow up next week with a call to the main surgery in town, I am kind of thinking I will call on Monday or Tuesday so not even a week but as he retires on the Friday and we are going away for a long weekend on the thursday I feel this may be the best bet. I would love to be able to take him into the drop in center at the community hospital in town but they would say it's a GP matter with out a doubt. I don't want to let this drop or wait for this GP to get off his backside, I accepted what they told me with my dd when I felt there were problems in her mouth, I accepted what the SALT and HV said as felt they would know and waited and waited for the GP to get back to me until I ended up seaking help else where, I had to go to a god dam TV show to get the help my dd needed, turned out her problems were more significant then I had feared so with that expirence and knowing the risks of late care if there is a problem with ds's hips I am going to be like a dog with a bone on this one, I hope I am wrong, I really really do but I feel there is a problem here, what that problem is I don't know but my mummy sense is tingleing and I am losing sleep over it, everyone around me discribes me as a laid back, calm and at times blaise parent, I don't go into a panic with a cold, ds is asthmatic and I have taken that in my stride, taking him off brown inhailer when I saw it wasn't needed, I don't know why I feel like I have to show I am not nurotic or PFB (even though he is my second lol!) I guess I am just not used to feeling so very very worried, never felt like this with dd's problems, even right after I kissed her goodbye going into surgery at 4 years old...
Thanks for the help ladies, I may have more questions or need some help in how to push this so I really, really apricate you taking the time to read my rambleings!

[SparkleRainbow]

Sounds like you have a plan to start working with, a call to the the main surgery on Monday seems right to me. Good luck, and if it helps remember you are not the only one who fights for the right care for your dc, seems to me there are lots of mners are in the same situation and they will support you all the way.

[roadkillbunny]

Hummmm, so, the GP called me late this afternoon but in a way the good ended there, he told me that he had spoken to somebody (who, not sure) and he then mumbled something (he is the king of the mubbles when he isn't happy about something) along the lines of 'it;s probably okay but they would want an x-ray' great I think but then he says 'you know what he was like so they would have to sedate him to get an x-ray' I told him that although having to sedate isn't great and that I hope to god this is nothing I really feel that it needs checking as the risks of an undiagnosed problem are so far reaching he then said 'well they aren't going to be pleased because they won't be able to do it in abingdon (nearest town) and it would be have to be done on Oxford... grummble grummble grummble' he then said he would be in touch and hung up. Now, tell me if I am off base here but it felt like he was trying to put me off because it would create a bit of work for him, I don't want my baby sedated but as I was worried enough about this to take him to see the doctor then being told he will need to be sedated isn't going to make that worry go away, I don't know a single parent who would say 'ohh well as it's going to be a bother don't worry about it' in his grumbles about sedation not once did he talk about the pros and cons for ds just the fact they would have to do it in the city and how much of a faff it would be! I also don't know who this 'they' he refers to is and who would be viewing the x-rays once taken to make the call on if ds has a problem of not when he lets me know about the x-rays I must push to find this out, I already thought that he would probably not be qualified to make that call (or the GP who is taking over in a week who I have yet to meat) and had that thought confirmed to me by you SparkleRainbow as someone who has been though it all with their DC. Who should I be pushing to make the call on the x-rays? It's so hard to get a word in edge ways on the phone with this GP, he mumbles at you, complaines about how much you are inconveiencing him with your needs for health care and puts down the phone, gahh I hate him I really do, I do hope my new GP is going to have some interest and consern past his own needs and desires!

[cory]

He sounds a right charmer

Just ignore, get the referral, let him do some work.

But be prepared for the fact that the X-ray may only be the beginning: not all hip problems show up on X-ray.

[SparkleRainbow]

When my ds was born they sent him to see a paediatrcian at the local hospital who was responsible in the area for the diagnosis and treatment of children wtih clicking hips. My ds was cleared eventually, but only after he had seen this doctor, and had a scan, which was an ultrasound scan. If I remember correctly you mentioned a scan at 6 weeks, so I assume you have already been through this, my question would be why can't he go through a scan first, with the paediatrician as it will not require more significant intervention of a sedative for an xray.

If it has to be an xray, I took my then 11 week old dd for chest xrays when she had a problem with her heart. She was not sedated. I had to wear a lead apron, and hold her down, with the help of some sand bag weights. Why can they not do this, she was too young to explain she needed to lie still, she tried to wriggle, but but me and the weights they got perfectly clear images.

You can rehease a bit with your ds about lying on a bed, and them using a special camera to take pictures, it won't hurt and mummy will be there. I would have thought it is worth a try, you just have to not be pregnant, otherwise it would not be safe for the baby. If you are then someone else he is comfortable with, daddy, grandparent would have to go in with him. What do you think?

[mattellie]

Sorry you're having such a tough time with your GP, roadkill. If you're in Oxfordshire, I would recommend you get a referral to the Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital - DS had all his treatment there including 3 hip operations and we can't speak highly enough of them.

Agree with Cory that not all hip problems show up on x-ray, DS's didn't. As a physio I could see that there was some problem, but couldn't tell what it was specifically until they had done an arthroscopy.

[roadkillbunny]

Thanks for the replys. News is this, the doc called me again this morning and seems to have trasfered his pissed offeness (is that a word lol?) from me to the hospital. The only people who will x-ray ds are the nuffield Orthopaedic (good! although doc kept refering to them as noh and had to ask him to back up and clarify) so I am to expect a letter from the x-ray department there and thats what worrys me right now, at first when he started talking about the nuffield I thought great he was making a referal to the apropriate people but he then made it clear that I would be hearing from the x-ray department not anything else. By the time even a letter comes though the GP will be gone finally on his retairement (he has been teasing us for 18 months, his retirement do was a year ago for god sake) so hopefully I will get more sense from the new GP. It was the nuffield that ds had his 6 week hip scan at, it was like a one stop shop for want of a better word, scan and doc after, wonder if it will be something similar? The other thing is that they will make the desision on the day on sedation so at least ds will (hopefully) be given a chance to behave!
I want to know about the stuff that doesn't show up on x-ray, how would I persue that affter its been such a slog just to get an x-ray, I swear they think I am just a hypercondriac Mum!

[mattellie]

Yeah, they do call it that ? you have to be up with the lingo, yuh know

I wouldn?t worry about it only being an x-ray initially, the docs at the Nuffield will want to review the x-ray themselves, they won?t be leaving that to the GP, whoever it is!

They should do other things at the post x-ray follow-up such as range-of-motion tests on the hip joint and/or gait analysis. I don?t know about Cory, but my DS had a congenital hip problem which didn?t really manifest until he was about 7 and even then wasn?t obvious on the x-ray. FWIW I don?t think you?ll find the Nuffield are dismissive of your concerns as they specialise in these sorts of problems.

However, bear in mind that the next steps are an MRI scan and/or an exploratory operation, so be prepared for those suggestions. Hope you get a date for the x-ray soon. x

[roadkillbunny]

Well I got the letter from noh (I am getting the lingo look at me lmao!) this morning, an appointment at radiology dept for x-ray on Wenesday 11th of August, so next week, fast, points to them for that BUT that is it, still non the wiser to who will be reviewing the x-rays or what happens after that. Interestingly as I mensioned in passing earlier I was away for a long weekend this past week and part of that was visiting with family, my (only just turned) 15 year old niece had a couple of weeks ago dislocated her knee by doing nothing more then taking a step backwards in class at school. My Mum went on to remind me how I had very painfull joints, knee in particuler as an adolesent and young adult, as did she but Mum was a dancer and I had horses and rode competitivly, both things that really build up your musles and tendons. My poor dn is in so much pain, she is out of her knee brace now but while waiting for MRI results is having intence physio and hydro therapy, Mum thinks I should make who ever it is we will be dealing with awear of this family history, what do you ladies think, is it possible there is a genetic problem that has been over looked due to most of us being very active? (I did see the GP in my teens for my bad knees, I can't remember the name of what he said it was, I called it long and latin syndrome but iirc it was due to my bones growing faster then the suport network)

[mattellie]

That?s Osgood-Schlatter?s Disease, and yes pretty common in active children, especially boys. But I think that normally manifests in the knee rather than hip.

The rest of what you describe sounds more like hypermobility to me, but I?m not an expert in that (my DC?s problem was very different). There are quite a few mums on these boards with experience of hypermobility so you could try opening another thread with that as the title?

I agree with your mum, definitely make any doctor you see aware of the family history.

[roadkillbunny]

Thanks for the advice, it's hard to sift through wans relivant and whats not, general chatter in the family is that my dn had the full dislocation because she is failry sedentry while the rest of us were very active but it could be her bad luck! I may have a read around about hyper mobility before I post anything just to educate myself a little, I really apriciate all the advice

[roadkillbunny]

Well, Just got back from the Nuffield, ds had his x-ray, no problem, no sedation needed (go suck on that one GP ) now have to wait 7 to 10 days and go back to, you guessed it GP. Still non the wiser to if I will be going back to the GP to get the results ie someone qualified reviews the x-rays, give opinion to GP and GP then passes on to me and makes further referals if required or if the x-ray it's self will be sent to the GP for the GP to review.
Just got to consentrate on the fact an x-ray has been done, my old GP has finally retired and I have now thanks in large to you helpful ladies got an idea of what I am trying to get done when I head back into the fight in 7 - 10 days time!
Wish it was simple, poor ds has days when he is really limping and can't seem to walk far and other days when he is non stop and seems fine, hoping this means that if there is a problem (really starting to think there is) it is something not too big that maybe will be a case of physio rather then the big big things, fingers crossed x

[SparkleRainbow]

I am so glad you have had the xray. I didn't think you would need sedation for that, your gp was talking out of his . My ds has Ehlers Danlos which is an extreme form of hypermobilility he inherited from me, so if I can answer any questions you have please just ask, I am often on mn just chatting, or getting help to manage the next medical fight.

I would say at this point your next step is to make an appointment with new gp for when the xray will be through (about 2 weeks for us). When you go in you probably want the outcome to be the same whatever the results, if the gp can see something on the xray you need a referral to either paed or rheumatologist, and if the gp can't see anything you still want the same, because you know something is wrong. Fight your corner, your his mum and in this you know best.

[roadkillbunny]

Just to let you know we are on the waiting game now, called the docs to make an appointment for the results of the x-ray, told them the hospital said 7-10 days and I was thinking this coming Monday or Tues for an appointment, she simply said they say that, it will be longer, why am I not surprised lol! Anyways, have an appointment on Thursday 26th with his asthma review first with the nurse, they told me to call early next week to check if they X-ray is back or not, she gave the impresion that we would be lucky if we didn't have to move the appointment to a later date due to results not being back. This is driving me slowly nuts, I can see something isn't right, family and friends can see something isn't right, I just keep thinking that the sooner we know what is going on the sooner we can do something to help as I hate seeing my not quite even 2.5 years old limping and having days when he can't walk for more then 5 mins but then other days he manages to walk over a mile even though his gate does 'rock' it's the best way I can discribe it, arggghh, I think my frustration and worry lies in the fact I am powerless to help and have to go at the slow pace of the NHS bureaucracy, it doesn't help that when we do see the doc if the x-rays are hopefully clear (from what I understand it's the big bads that show up on x-ray, other things are more of a physio type thing, hope I am makeing sense here and please tell me if I am wrong and the things that don't show up on x-ray are just as big and bad) we then have to go through the referal process that could take weeks, either way as you say it is referal but can't help but think that if x-ray clear getting a referal at all will be a struggle :(
Thank you for putting up with my rambling self absorbed pitty party, I am trying to leave the subject alone in rl but it runs through my head constantly when I watch ds and when I try to sleep so having someplace I can witter on, ramble and worry is a real god send, I off load and then can carry on like normal with a smile for the DC. Thanks.

[alibobins]

roadkillbunny I've been following this thread as we are going through someting similar my ds is only 8 months but we have a referal to an orthopedic surgeon on 9th Sept we have been waiting 8 weeks for the appointment.

Ds only puts one foot to the floor his left leg is shorter so only the toes reach the floor his knee turns and faces outwards and the bottom of his leg looks very bowed like a banana like you I try not to focus my thoughts on it but I can't help but worry.
I just can't wait for the appointment I just want some answers as I feel in limbo until I know whats wrong.

I really hope you get some answers from your GP x x

[roadkillbunny]

I am sorry you are going through this to alibobins your ds sounds worse then my ds, he has an extra crease and you can hear his hip click, he walks on tip toes on his right leg alot, he gallops most of the time rather then run or walk and he also limps some days and has a kind of rocking gate however his right leg doesn't seem significantly longer and his knee doesn't turn out, I really hope that both our ds's don't have to go through to much, I really hope your appointment hurrys up, the faster these things are delt with the beter from what I understand from my reserch and also this waiting makes you feel even more stressed about it as you can see something isn't right and you are helpless to do anything more then wait!
It is hard to think of anything else when you are seeing it all day every day, when ever you look at your dc, forums like this are such a help, if you ever want to off load feel free to do it here! xxx

[alibobins]

From speaking to other people I really think Ds has got a hip problem his left leg isn't much shorter probably 2cm but it is obvious wen he tries to stand up. His hip clunks from time to time but it doesn't bother himjust me

[roadkillbunny]

ds clicks his for 'fun' sometimes, makes me shudder, only seems to bother hit when he is running about non stop, somedays he is fine though, I am really hoping it is nothing much, just got through a horrible year with my dd needing surgery, she was let down time and again buy health care profesionals who refused to listen when I said something wasn't right in her mouth, took very unusual route and she ended up being diagnosed with issues far beyond what we though was going on, I had no idea things were so bad for her because I truted people when they told me things were fine and not to worry etc, etc, I am knid of hoping that my worry about ds is part of that and really that it is something minor but I just have this feeling...
I would say 2cm on a baby is quite alot to be fair, they are only small to begin with but I could be wrong, less then half a cm diference with ds, i would put that to normal veriation, but I could be wrong! Goss I could talk myself round in circles all night! Take care xxx

[alibobins]

I keep swinging from thinking something is definatly wrong to trying to convince myself everyting is fine.
Waiting is the hardest part I would rather know what I'm dealing with.