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Question answered:15/11/06 Warning! this question is over two years old.
Our usual information resources, namely the TRIP, Cochrane and Medline databases tend to adopt a disease approach rather than a symptom-based approach and thus questions such as this can prove difficult to answer.
We did, however, locate an article on paediatric limp published in e-Medicine, which may offer some useful information [1]. The authors begin by stating:
“Limping is a common presenting symptom in children. It may be caused by a myriad of conditions ranging from a simple foreign body in the child's shoe to a metastatic bone cancer. The diagnosis of this common childhood problem can test the mettle of the best diagnosticians…”
This article discusses limp in toddlers (1-3 years old), children (4-10 years old) and adolescents. There are large sections on history taking and the required physical examination (orthopaedic, gait assessment and general medical examination). Section 4 covers differential diagnosis. Investigations are discussed in section 5, and treatments in section 6.
References
1. Herman M. Pediatrics, limp. E-Medicine. April 2006. (http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic387.htm).
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