4yo suddenly walking oddly and GP says wait and see

[YoungOnyx]

Hi all, first time posting so go easy please.

My 4 year old has started walking oddly over the last couple of weeks and I cant shake the feeling that something isnt right. He kind of lifts one leg higher and swings it round a bit, almost like a limp but not consistent. Some days its barely there and other days its really noticeable, especially when he is tired.

He has always been an active kid, climbing everything, running non stop, no issues meeting milestones. No recent big falls that I know of, no complaints of pain unless I really quiz him and then he just shrugs. No fever, no illness beforehand.

Took him to the GP last week and honestly felt completely brushed off. She watched him walk up and down the room once, said children go through funny phases with walking, probably a habit or tight muscles, and told me to give it a few weeks. No referral, no physio, nothing. I asked about hips because Ive googled (yes I know) and she said he would be in pain if it was anything like that.

But I am his mum and I see him every day and this is new. Nursery have mentioned it as well which is what finally pushed me to book the appointment in the first place. Im not usually an anxious parent and Im very aware of not wanting to be that mum, but I also dont want to ignore something important.

Am I being unreasonable to push back and ask for a second opinion or referral? Or do I actually need to calm down and wait it out like she said. Has anyone had similar where it was nothing or where it turned out to be something after being fobbed off?

Sorry this is long, just feeling a bit stupid and worried at the same time.

I suspect you had Osteochondritis.

Osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone and requires immediate acute intervention to avoid amputation or death!

I would film and send Dad to the appointment or mention that a random man thought it looked serious. I find that helps. Otherwise the gp just goes onto the reel of information about health anxiety with a head tilt.

You can always ask your health visitor on community nurse to refer to paeds physio.
You want a referral for ASSESSMENT by an appropriately qualified professional. If imaging is indicated, they will arrange this and any further action needed, depending on the results.
Asking a GP for imaging, just means an x-ray will be done. The GP just gets a report back and if there’s nothing obvious, often they will say everything’s fine and take no further action.
Also, not everything shows on an x-ray or MRI. Even if it does, an assessment is still required to establish what’s happening….

I had osteomyelitis as a child and was completely pain free no symptoms apart from a weird lump in my clavicle.

Not true. I has osteomyelitis but asymptomatic. Had an urgent biopsy and preventative antibiotics while they took several weeks to decalcify the bone and get the results. I know it can result in sepsis and some extreme surgery but not always. My case was weird and a real head scratcher for my medical team.

My son when he was 4 developed a limp. We thought it was a sprained muscle. When it didnt get better in a few days my husband took him to the GP who told him to drive straight to the hospital. There was hardly any wait and my son was admitted that night and put on a drip with antibiotics with an orthapedic surgeon and a team of doctors examining him. The pediatricians turned up and they practically had a scrap over who would be in charge - it was a teaching hospital and they both seemed to think it was an interesting case for their students.

My son had a suspected bone infection in his ankle with the subsequent bone scan lighting up like a Christmas tree. He had a lot of antibiotics and made a complete recovery. They told us it was important to hit it hard and fast. My son was quite chirpy - not obviously sick. He got in this toy car in the hospital children's ward with a partial plaster cast on his leg and a drip in his arm and was pushing himself along down a corridor with his good leg with me running after him pushing the drip stand.

He made a full recovery with no lasting side effects. Your GP sounds very dismissive.

Hi @YoungOnyx

I was reading your thread this morning and I couldn’t help but see the similarities between my daughters diagnosis and your sons symptoms.

My daughter was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at 2.5 years old. (JIA) she had a limp for ages. It turns out one leg was growing at a slightly different rate to the other. I wonder if you could get a tape measure to see if your child’s legs are the same length. This is one way (of many ways) that they diagnose this condition.

Also, have you noticed any inflammation, extra fluid around the kneecap? The ankle?
It might not be JIA but I just wanted to bring your attention to the condition.
Definitely keep advocating for your son. You don’t need to go privately to get those answers.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

My DD is 15 now, but when she was 2 she started walking a bit funny, I thought it was just her 'toddling', took her to the g.p, x-ray done, diagnosed with hip dysplasia. She was in no pain at all, kind of walked a bit like a penguin

My son has always had a limp when he gets tired and sometimes, if we've had a particularly busy day, it carries over into the next days and he needs a good few days of rest for it to be better. In his case, he was born with clubfoot, although his foot always looks great. He's had xrays and mris and the only thing that has ever flagged is spina bifida occulta. He didn't complain of any pain until he was about 6ish.
He was under specialist physios from birth, so we would make appointments with them, but by the time he had gotten to the hospital over an hour away and sat waiting, he was no longer tired and therefore didn't limp. One day I got fed up with basically looking like a crazy parent, as by the time we took him to these appointments he was fine, so I took him to the local hospital minor injuries, just so a professional could see what we were talking about. He'd had no trips or falls or anything that would lead me to believe he had been injured and wasn't complaining of pain, just limping as usual - still happy and playing/running. They x-rayed it and turned out he had fractured his foot, but we still have absolutely no idea how or when. The nurses were surprised as he was happily limping around the waiting room and didn't say he was in pain, even when asked.
If I were you, I'd take him to minor injuries if you have one near you and ask for an x-ray, just to be sure that there's nothing fractured.

I read through all of this last night and then slept badly which probably tells me everything I need to know.

I spoke to nursery this morning and they were actually really helpful. Theyve noticed the leg swing mostly in the afternoons and said its not something they see commonly in children his age and they dont think he is copying anyone. Theyre happy to write something up for me and also said they can refer into community physio if needed, which is a relief.

Ive got more videos now, including him getting up from the floor and just walking around when he thinks Im not paying attention. Watching them back its definitely there, even if its subtle. His legs look the same length to me but Im not exactly trained.

No temps, no recent virus that I can think of, no other changes. Which is reassuring but also makes it harder because there is no obvious explanation.

Ive booked another GP appointment for the end of this week and asked specifically for a different GP at the practice. Im going to go in with the videos, the nursery notes and a clear ask for a referral to paeds physio or ortho for proper assessment. If that goes nowhere I will take him to minor injuries rather than just accepting another wait and see.

Some of the posts on this thread have been genuinely frightening and I wish people would think about how they phrase things, but buried in there is a clear message that a new change in gait needs checking and Im not wrong to push.

I will update after the appointment.

I’m a Paeds physio and I would go back to the GP and ask for a physio referral and x ray as this could be Perthes. Limping is painless for Perthes and intermittent. It happens mostly in boys 3-10.

I’m sorry OP, I completely agree the way some people on this thread have phrased things is completely unnecessary when you’re taking all the steps you need to. It’s scaremongering. It’s reassuring your son has been well otherwise and you need to focus on that. I wish you and your son all the best, please come back and update us ☺️

Yes, thats how I feel about it too. I understand people are sharing experiences and I know it comes from a good place, but when youre already worrying its very easy to spiral reading worst case after worst case.

I am trying to hold onto the fact that he is otherwise completely well and happy and that there are lots of much more minor explanations than the scary ones. Thats the bit I need to keep reminding myself of.

I feel clearer now about what Im doing next rather than just panicking, which helps. Ill update once weve seen the GP again and know what the plan is.

Hi op just wanted to say good luck. Eldest has several things wrong when little.
Constantly referred for various things. I actually felt like a hypochondriac mother at times. (I wasn’t!). Now a strapping 26 year old.

There's nothing worse than when your child isn't at their best - whether it's a virus or something unusual like this. I think you're doing an amazing job OP and the scaremongering here is unnecessary. You know what you need to do and you are following up. Be reassured that he's well otherwise and you're on your way to getting it addressed! Sending you a hug xx

I can’t roll my eyes hard enough at some of the batshit comments people have written. I little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!
It’s tricky to get the right level of concern across though. Yes this needs further investigation. However, it also isn’t a clinical emergency. Remember that the GP not referring your son, means there were no red flags identified which is a very good sign! He also doesn’t seem to in pain- also a huge positive.

Growth spurts make certain muscles tighter for a while. Muscle fatigue sets in when children are busy and active, which makes little discrepancies more obvious for a phase. Little muscles need time to grow and strengthen with the body. If the limp is more obvious at certain time, then fatigue is likely a factor, rather than a deformity. These are everyday dealings in msk and don’t have long term impact. Please try not to worry. 💐

OP how is your son now?