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When I was a child, I had Perthes disease. Now that I'm 30-years old, I still have a limp and some hip pain, but no other sign of a problem. I'm wondering about the limp and what I can do to get rid of it. What can you tell me?
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Perthes disease (also known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes) is a childhood hip disorder. It can result in a deformed hip with loss of function. Treatment to reshape the head of the femur and keep it in the hip socket is usually successful.
Mild hip pain, slight limp, and leg length difference are commonly reported in adulthood. The leg length difference could be from a couple of different causes. If the head of the femur is flat instead of round, the hip is compressed and the leg is shorter.
If surgery was done and the bone growth was disturbed, the leg can be shorter on that side. In some cases, surgery to shorten or lengthen the muscle/tendon unit results in too much change. Again, the result can be a leg length discrepancy.
Muscle weakness of the hip abductor muscles (muscles that stabilize the pelvis and move the leg away from the body) can result in a lurching or limping gait (walking) pattern. If that's the case, then an exercise program can help. A physical therapist can assess this problem and prescribe the right exercises for you.
But if it's caused by a bony or structural change, then surgery may be a possible option. An orthopedic surgeon can examine you and X-rays of your hip to answer this question. It is a good idea to find out what (if anything) can be done now. Years of uneven wear on the joint can lead to arthritis. Treatment early on may be able to prevent degenerative changes that result in painful and disabling arthritis.
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