3 year old can’t walk

[Ajcourt]

3 days ago my 3 year old boy woke up saying his leg hurts and he was limping on his leg and was like he couldn’t unbend his knee. I took him to hospital the next day as it was just getting worse. They gave him X-rays and blood to see for infection and both come back clear. He doesn’t seem in pain with it and having to walk around with his knee bent and on his tiptoes. The doctor basically brushed us off and said we putting it down to “reactive arthritis” and give it 2 days to start walking again and give him calpol and ibropthen. It’s the next day and his walking seems worse and he’s got no balance on it at all unless he’s holding on to something but still about to wiggle his legs about.

I feel like I was just brushed off from the doctors at the hospital and going to be taking him back.
has anybody else’s child experience anything like this?

Has he had a virus recently? It could be irritable hip. My dd had this and a nurse told me its quite common and is nothing to worry about.

Has he had a viral infection recently?
Irritable hip post-viral infections are something that can happen with some young children. Usually, pain relief and rest are all that's needed, and it self-resolves in a week or so.
If you feel he is getting worse or not improving despite regular ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory), then take him back, as other conditions can present similarly.

No, no virus. Did walking improve after a few days?

https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/hip-pain-children-irritable-hip/

This is the NHS guidance for irritable hip.

Yes I think so. It was a good few years ago! Maybe not if no virus. Hope he gets better soon!

My DS (now 36) was unable to straighten his leg when he was about 3. We were going on holiday at the time and he couldn’t walk (straighten his leg). We took him to the doctor then hospital and they couldn’t find anything wrong. We went on holiday (flying) and had to take the pushchair as he couldn’t walk. While we were there after a couple of days we were on the rooms balcony and I suggested he put his foot on another chair in front of him. Gradually without drawing attention to what I was doing I managed to straighten his leg. Then I showed him and when he got up he could use it as normal. No idea what the problem was and still don’t! Definitely if your DS doesn’t improve take him back to doctors. I hope it goes well for you both. You too may never know.

I didn’t like to read this and run, this exact thing happened to me as a child.
I was in school and had to stand up and just could not straighten my leg, could walk but it was painful and could only walk on tip toe. After about 2 days of this I was taken to a children’s hospital. Blood tests, X-rays etc all came back clear. After about a week it stopped as suddenly as it started and never happened again.
I had some kind of virus about a week before and had a rash on my face so all they could assume was it was some kind of reaction to the virus but really no one knows.
Hopefully it will be the same for your boy

I’d have a read up on Guillane barre and ask for a nerve test

Yes, DS had reactive arthritis in his knee. Disappeared as randomly as it appeared and 6/7 years later hasn't returned!

Created an account just to post this, please look up Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Your son may need a referral to Rheumatology. My 2 year old daughter couldn't walk for at least a year and no one knew what it was even though her knee joints were very obviously swollen. Don't let the Dr's fob you off. So many medical professionals haven't even heard of it, it's astounding.

My son had this at 3 - hospital said he had had asymptomatic tonsillitis which had travelled to joints. Was so strange but he was back to normal in 3 days..

Happened to my son, 111 told us to take him to A&E but they couldn't find anything wrong and he wasn't in pain, just not weight bearing. Due to medical history they told us to come back in 24 hours if not improved - that night he walked into our room in the middle of the night for water, absolutely fine!

My son had an irritable hip twice , the first time he’d had a cold type virus the week before and woke up unable to stand on the leg , the second time was when he had chickenpox , both times he recovered within a few days. It sounds like this is what they suspect, I think an X-ray often doesn’t show very much and sometimes they do an ultrasound. If he is getting worse or otherwise seems unwell I would get further medical advice

Very rare condition, especially in children, so unlikely.
Recommend taking your little one back to hospital if it has deteriorated or isn't improving.

If they’re mentioning irritable hip then please be alert for perthes disease. My then 3 year olds “irritable hip” turned out to be perthes disease.

Has he had a cold or viral infection recently?

My daughter (then 1) stopped putting weight on her leg, took her to the hospital for her to then start running around (albeit shakily) so they discharged her. Next day she was worse, they did a hip scan and diagnosed transient synovitis.

Worth taking him back for answers!!

It doesn’t sound like you were “brushed off”, it sounds like he had appropriate investigations which were all normal and so the doctor had recommended simple pain killers/anti-inflammatories and time. Did the doctor say anything about worrying signs to look out for and when to take him back? They usually do, this is called safety netting.

if you’ve tried what the doctor advised and he is no better, or if he’s getting worse then go back.

My son had a freak episode of not being able to walk a few weeks after chicken pox! It was so wild. Later found out a few friends kids had had the same and it was a filet common, but very short lived, thing after chicken pox. It resolved itself wihithin 24 hours. Random and wierd, but the hospital didn’t care much!

I’m surprised Reactive Arthritis has been brushed off like that. At 17 months, DS (now 17 years) spent 9 days in hospital on IV antibiotics with RA. He’d had conjunctivitis a couple of weeks earlier, they thought it was a complication of that. He was admitted initially as he had a v high temperature (39, but went up to 41)) and his knee was hot to touch.

I was going to say check perthes

Thank you very much everyone. He woke up this morning with it been same but throughout the day got better but when he sat down for more than for a while it ended up back the same again with knee bet and limping unfortunately.

Go back for another review.