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Current Pediatric Reviews

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ISSN (Print): 1573-3963
ISSN (Online): 1875-6336

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Review Article

The Limping Child: A Guide for the Trainees

Author(s): Norah AlRohaimi, Hamad Alkhalaf and Jubran Alqanatish*

Volume 20, Issue 4, 2024

Published on: 23 May, 2023

Page: [426 - 433] Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/1573396320666230406085533

Price: $65

Abstract

Limping is a common presenting complaint in children. Despite this, it remains to be a diagnostic challenge for treating physicians due to an expanded list of etiologies. It arises from a spectrum of disorders, ranging from physiological variations of gait at different stages of development to systemic causes, such as inflammatory diseases or musculoskeletal infections. On rare occasions, non-musculoskeletal causes could result in limping. The diagnostic challenge increases in younger age children where a detailed physical examination that helps identify the exact source of pathology may not be possible. In older patients who have a well-developed gait cycle, the physical assessment might be easier. Clinical assessment in a child presenting with a limp includes gait analysis, which is essential to guide the appropriate request of diagnostic laboratory tests and imaging studies. In this paper, we provide a practical guide for a trainee in General Pediatric and Pediatric Rheumatology on an approach to a limping child, aiming to identify the common causes of limping and to describe normal and abnormal gait cycles. We also discuss other diagnostic considerations in the assessment of these children.

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Graphical Abstract

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