Awful hip pain in 12 year old girl

[Sarannie]

Hello, I'm desperate for help for my 12 year old daughter and couldn't think of anywhere better to post this.
She is a typical fit, healthy and active girl. 3 weeks ago she got up from her seat in the cinema and experienced an awful pain in her hip. Since then this has got so bad that she cries regularly and had to use a wheelchair during a trip to a museum in London last week. It's absolutely ruining her summer holiday and I just don't know how to help her.
This is what we have done so far:
The night after she did it we went to the out of hours surgery and she was prescribed strong anti-inflammoratories and co-codomol. Told to follow up with GP.
Next we followed up with the GP and were sent for x-rays. These took 11 days to come back and (suspiciously, I thought) had to be looked at by 2 senior radiologists before being declared clear.

Next the GP ran blood tests which we are still waiting for results on. He's looking for rheumatic type things, inflammation and infection.

He told me that if these come back clear he'll send us to the orthopaedic team at the hospital but this would mean a wait.
Here lies the problem. She is in such awful constant pain and she never usually complains about anything. The co-codomol and Diclofenic don't touch the pain and during the last 3 weeks I have really been on the verge of taking her to A&E to see if they can help her faster.
We go on holiday (UK luckily) next Saturday and I just want it diagnosed and treated so that she can relax & enjoy herself. It doesn't seem fair to leave a child in such constant pain that she cries.
What would you do?

Sarah

A&E won't help I'm afraid. We had a similar problem when DS's back went and he was immobilised with pain. I was back & fro to GP & went to A&E twice. They said they could not admit him through A&E.

The Ortho referral was weeks/months away, and in the end we paid for a Private cons. with the Consultant he was due to see under NHS. This guy took one look at DS and demanded a next day MRI under the NHS, results in a week and back on NHS for Physio etc.

If your DD is active it there any chance she has a bursitis of the hip? They are agony but treatable. Or she may be snagging a tendon on her bone just below the hip (snapping hip syndrome)? I have had both of those.

Keep hassling your GP as he may be able to spped up your referral. Also, once you have a date keep phoning the clinic for cancellations - which do happen in the holidays.

Good luck.

Hi OP, if she has uncontrolled pain I would take her to a&e when it is bad and ask for her to see the oncall orthopaedic dr.
Or if you have the funds arrange a private ortho referral.
Either way soeone will look at her with fresh eyes and you might get a quicker answer/treatment.
Hope you get some help soon.

Yes thank you noshouting I really think I will do this tomorrow, I can't stand to see her like this much longer.
Thanks

I really hope I'm wrong, but it sounds like slipped capital femoral epiphysis, which is where the top of the femur, the "ball" of the ball and socket of the hip, basically shifts away from where it should be due to a weakness in the growth-plate and causes sudden, terrible and on-going pain until it's dealt with (by surgery). I know you said the x-rays were clear but it seems like you had some suspicions about why they took so long to tell you that...they lost them perhaps?? Had their own doubts?
Your daughter is exactly the right sort of age for slipped capital femoral epiphysis too as it happens in early adolescence. It would definitely cause the symptoms you describe. But then so could something like an infection of the hip joint...so they all need to be ruled out. My own son (5 years old) has recently been diagnosed with Perthes Disease of his right hip...which is why I've read LOTS about hips recently! I hope your daughter hasn't got Perthes (another thing to rule out!)...but that's less likely as she's older than the usual on-set age. I'm personally of the view that in the NHS the "squeaky wheel gets the oil" so if you make enough fuss you will get your daughter seen sooner. When my son started limping I took him to the GP who got us a referral to ortho dept at hospital but it was over 2 months away. A week later as the limp had deteriorated so badly I badgered the GP to speed things up and he got us in that same day to the on-call paediatric assessment dept who did x-rays and told us then and there he had Perthes. It's been a whirl-wind of activity since then and he's now facing major surgery next month...but if I hadn't made a fuss he wouldn't even have had his first appointment yet! It was for August 19th! I really hope things turn out ok for your daughter, please keep us informed about how things turn out and don't be afraid to be vocal with your GP or hospital about pushing for your child to be taken seriously. Good luck.

Thank you very much JellyBelly. Yes I too thought slipped femoral head and my sister did too - she is an osteopath. I'm on the warpath tomorrow!
Thank you

My 12 yr old daughter wa sdiagnosed with severs disease last sept and tendonitus ( shes a competitive ice skater). After resting on and off she was still in apin and had an mri which showed multiple stress fractures on the hind feet, both sides. Months later she was still in alot of pain and during an othopediac appointment it was decided she needed 2 weeks of intensive physio/hydrotherapy which she started a few days later. She has been doagnosed with Complex regional pain syndrome and seemed to be doing really well however her left hip( niggled before alng with knees) is now causing so much pain. Im wondering is this due to new inersoles (flat footed) however hip pain started before she had these. Is there more to it? Another problem? We go back in 4 weeks and her hospital (Gobowen, Oswestry) have been brilliant.

Sarannie, any news? Did you get on the warpath and get any results?

Hi, yes we spent a day in A&E and saw several doctors and a bone consultant (ortho surgeon). They all had different ideas!!! After being there for 7 hours they decided to send her to the fracture clinic - next Monday when we are on holiday! There weren't any other appointments so we decided we would be prepared to drive home and then go back to our holiday destination the same day.
However it was all unsatisfactory and I felt that everyone was missing something. I then decided to pay £40 and see a private physio. best £40 ever spent. he immediately diagnosed extremely tight muscles which had become taut against her growing bones. She has shot up in the last few months. he got her to do some gentle stretches and, for the first time in 4 weeks, ran a few steps.She is to do these for the next 6 weeks and use heat and nurofen for the pain.
Holiday here we come.
Thank you everyone for your input.

Great news enjoy your holiday.

Growing pains! Hope it thats simple and all is well.