How do we treat Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease at Children’s Hospital Colorado?
Non-Surgical: Non-surgical measures are taken to help with pain and maintain good range of motion in the hip. Anti-inflammatory medication (like Ibuprofen or Naproxen) may be prescribed to help reduce inflammation in the hip and decrease pain. Because of pain and changes to the structure of the head of the femur, children can lose the ability to pull their leg to the side. Casting and/or bracing may be used to preserve the range of motion on the hip and help the head of the femur maintain a round shape.
Surgical: In some cases, a surgical intervention may be needed. A procedure called a femoral osteotomy will change the way the ball (femoral head) sits inside the hip socket (acetabulum). An incision is made in the thigh and the femur bone is cut and rotated for better alignment of the femoral head (ball) in the acetabulum (socket). The bone is secured with a metal plate and screws. This surgery is performed to help maintain the femoral head (ball) inside the acetabulum (socket).
Later in life, once your child’s healing process is complete, a surgical intervention may be necessary if there is femoro-acetabular impingement, which may develop as a result of the change in shape of the end of the thigh bone and the hip socket. Sometimes a surgical intervention is performed on the side of the pelvis to improve the deformity of the hip.
Why choose Children’s Colorado for your child’s Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease?
By working together as a team, we are able to develop a comprehensive approach to both patient diagnosis and individualized treatment plans. Specialists from our Hip Program offer a broad spectrum of options for our patients and extend to include experts in the fields of rehabilitation, physical therapy, rheumatology, anesthesiology and pain.
With a sole focus on hip disease in young patients, our Hip Program is nationally recognized for excellence in hip surgeries, and our doctors educate healthcare providers around the nation on hip diseases and surgery. Our goal is to provide our patients with options for pain control, function improvement, and preservation of the hip joint. We are very proud of being active leaders in the International Perthes Study Group.