Irritable hip (transient synovitis)

Irritable hip - more accurately known as transient synovitis - is a common disorder of childhood which presents with the acute onset of hip pain and a limp that gradually resolves. The child is otherwise well.

The cause is uncertain and the condition is usually made as a diagnosis of exclusion. Infection and trauma are postulated as precipitating factors but prospective studies report infection, usually of the upper respiratory tract, in only 30% of cases, and significant trauma in only 5% of cases.

Boys between two and twelve years of age appear to be the most susceptible group.

Reference

1. Krul M et al. Acute non-traumatic hip pathology in children: incidence and presentation in family practice. Fam Pract. 2010 Apr;27(2):166-70.