17. Hip disorders in children

Disorders of the hip in children can have a significant impact on the quality of life during childhood and lead to progressive degenerative abnormalities of the hip by young adulthood and later in life. It is therefore important to detect hip abnormalities in time and treat them adequately. In this chapter, the most common, as well as some rare disorders of the paediatric hip that require adequate treatment are discussed. With the help of a thorough and complete history and physical examination, one is able to arrange systematically a broad differential diagnosis (also incorporating less obvious causes). Because pain in the hip region is not always caused by a condition of the hip in a narrower sense, disorders that may cause more or less similar symptoms such as limping and groin pain will also be highlighted in the differential diagnosis.