My 12-year old daughter was just diagnosed with a problem called slipped capital femoral epiphysis. I thought this is a problem for boys, not girls. How could my daughter get it?

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is most common in children between the ages of 11 or 12 and 15 or 16. It has more to do with being overweight or obese than gender. Doctors think the increased weight puts a shear force on the bones during peak growth times. This is why SCFE is more likely to occur during a rapid growth spurt in obese children.

In the growing child, the femoral head has special plates made of cartilage that grow and lengthen the bone. On either side of the growth plate are special areas of bone called the epiphysis and metaphysis. This cartilage plate isn't as strong as bone. Increased forces on the hip from obesity can cause the epiphysis to slip backward on the femoral neck. This leaves a very unstable hip with possible blood loss to the joint.

SCFE can affect one or both hips in boys and girls. Children of various ethnic backgrounds can be affected. Cases have been reported in Caucasians, African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics. Neither gender nor ethnicity is as important as body weight and size.