pain in DD's thigh

[luciemule]

My DD (5) has been telling me that the inside of her thigh is painful for over a week now. It comes worse and then gets easier, but today she's woken up and can hardly put it to the floor and cries out in pain when she tries walking. The pain goes from above her knee up into her groin.

Does this just sound like a pulled muscle? I thought it's a bit odd such a young child having a pulled muscle for over a week which is getting worse, not better.
I've taken her out of school today to rest it and didn't really want to bother the GP for a pulled muscle but would if it doesn't seem easier.

I hate to scare you, but that sounds like the symptoms a friend of mine had for deep vein thrombosis. In addition, her thigh swelled and was painful to touch. I didn't think children got that, though. Please, take her to the GP.

Thanks Roskva - I did wonder about something more sinister but also didn't think kids got DVT. However, have now got her in to see GP after surgery tonight to be on the safe side. Pulled muscles usually get better, not worse.

Been to GP - he's sending her for an x-ray andhe thinks it's irritable hip from a viral infection.

Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad your gp is checking it out thoroughly. I have to admit, I do err on the side of being a paranoid parent, but if something gets worse over a few days, I prefer to get it checked out. How is she today?

Well they were very concerend at the hospital and admitted her, after having x-ray and scan and bloods. However they discharged her this morning saying she has to rest in bed for a week and then go back in 3 to see if the infection has gone. They were thinking it might be Perthes Syndrome but hopefully it won't be.

I have to say my DH is a sceptical about MN but I told him if you hadn't told me to take to the GP, I wouldn't have taken her and the hospital said it shouldn't have been left any longer as infected hips with fluid aren't good in little children. It's been a stressful couple of days but hopefully it'll clear up now with rest. Thanks Roskva - I always feel guilty going to the GP - like I'm wasting their time but I'm glad I took her.

I think any medic who implies that you're wasting their time if you're worried about your child's health has a serious attitude problem. Anyway, I'm glad to be able to offer support - other MNers have supported me through various anxieties, too. Waiting for test results can be horrid, so if you need to chat, I'm usually online at least every couple of days. I've never heard of Perthes Syndrome - what is it?

Perthes syndrome is somehting to do with the deterioration of the hip joint because of infection I think. Research has shown that it's mainly found in children in Liverpool so perhaps it's hereditary?
She's still got a temp so we might have to take her back in if it doesn't go down.Hopefully it will go down tomorrow.

Could it be environmental if cases are clustered in one area?

i guess so but couldn't really think what?

It's possible that a disease can thrive if there are a collection of factors that create its ideal conditions. I was watching a medical mysteries programme on TV a couple of months back. Somewhere in Canada, a number of very young children were taken to hospital with a strange respiratory illness. After a long investigation, it turned out that the cause of the illness was spores from a mould that grew in damp wood. It turned out that all the children affected lived in timber frame houses in areas which had flooded the previous spring.

that's interesting Roskva about the environmental factors.
DD has no temperature today but we're still wondering why she wasn't given antibiotics by hospital if her blood results showed some infection? Perhaps they think as she's so young, she could fight it herself with complete bed rest.

If they think the infection is caused by a virus rather than by bacteria then they probably wouldn't prescribe antibiotics. Also, if they are running tests, they may want to wait for the results to prescribe the right drug rather than use a wide-spectrum drug that may be less effective. It must be very frustrating though, seeing your dd unwell.