Leg

Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCPD) is a deterioration of the top of the thighbone (femur) due to insufficient blood supply. We don't know what causes LCPD, but doctors think it may be related to growth hormones. It can strike children throughout the growing years. Boys get it four times as often as girls. It is more common in children ages 4 to 8, and those who are small for their age. Without treatment, your child may lose the ability to rotate his or her hip, thereby worsening a limp.

Although knee pain may be the only initial symptom, persistent thigh or groin pain as well as a decrease in the size of the muscles in the upper thigh also can occur. Addition indications of the disease may include:

• Slight shortening of the leg or legs to unequal length, which is called asymmetry
• Hip stiffness restricting movement in the hip
• Difficulty walking or a limp with walking

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007