What is temporary synovitis of the hip joint? The image of “Iron Crutching Li” is popularized by the story of “The Eight Immortals”. However, as a parent, you will not be happy when your child comes limping towards you like “Iron Crutching Li”. There are many reasons for sudden limping in children, besides accidental injuries, there is also a relatively common disease, namely temporary synovitis of the hip joint, which is usually seen in children between the ages of 4 and 10. What is synovial membrane? In that area? Synovium is a layer of tissue that covers the surface of the joint capsule, a connective tissue rich in blood vessels, which overlays most of the structures in the joint except for the articular cartilage and meniscus. If the film becomes bad or rough, the window will not close smoothly. Therefore, when the synovial membrane of a joint becomes inflamed, the movement of the joint will be affected. What are the symptoms of synovitis? Children with acute onset of the disease and mild symptoms do not have any discomfort other than lameness, and parents often report that their child’s leg does not hurt when touched anywhere; children with severe symptoms have joint pain in addition to lameness. When mothers describe their children’s performance, they often say: “My child was fine before going to bed last night, but in the morning he got up screaming that his legs hurt and wouldn’t get up, he couldn’t even stand up”, “He limps when he walks, and it’s more obvious when he runs, I’m really worried that it’s paralysis “, “I haven’t seen him fall or bruise anywhere”. After carefully questioning the parents, the doctor found that most of these children have a history of upper respiratory tract infections, otitis media, etc. in the last two to three weeks, which can be accompanied by fever symptoms, and some children belong to the allergy regime skin is also prone to eczema. Although the child said that the pain was mainly in the knee joint, strangely enough, when the child arrived at the hospital for examination, there was no discomfort in the knee joint and generally no significant swelling in the lower extremities. In contrast, the hip joint showed restricted motion, and the pain increased especially with hyperflexion. Most of the blood tests are within the normal range, and there are no significant abnormalities on x-ray, and sometimes soft tissue images of swollen joint capsules are seen. If this is the case, then your child may have temporary hip synovitis. Treatment: This temporary hip synovitis usually does not require special treatment, and often heals on its own after a few days of rest. For milder symptoms, more rest is needed to avoid excessive weight bearing on the affected limb; for severe cases, absolute bed rest is needed, and even lower limb traction is needed to reduce intra-articular pressure, while non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, often called “Merlin”) can be taken, and the symptoms can subside after a few days, but it is recommended that within a week after the symptoms subside, the child should rest more. However, it is advisable for the child to rest for a week after the symptoms have subsided, and not to be active as soon as they improve, as this may cause the disease to recur. Can synovitis of the hip recur? Temporary synovitis usually lasts for about a week. However, like a cold, the disease may return after it has recovered, but if it recurs within a short period of time, further investigation is needed because there is a juvenile form of rheumatoid arthritis in children whose early symptoms are very similar to those of synovitis, and if the child’s symptoms do not improve significantly after treatment, it is important to be vigilant. Why does “synovitis” not clear up after a few weeks of treatment? If the physician has ruled out rheumatoid arthritis and the child’s symptoms do not go away after aggressive treatment and are getting worse, the parents need to take the child to the hospital for further investigation. There is a disease whose early manifestations are often similar to temporary hip synovitis called aseptic necrosis of the femoral head. This disease is also characterized by lameness in the early stages, and the history of trauma may or may not be present, but the prognosis is poor and can leave sequelae if left untreated. In addition, acute and chronic slippage of the epiphysis of the femoral head, hip joint infections and early childhood type oligoarticularity can also show the same symptoms, and this is when modern advanced imaging and other tests can help us. Therefore, if your child has leg pain, and this pain persists, especially if it cannot be touched, and the pain worsens after light rubbing and massage, then please take your child to the doctor for examination as soon as possible, so as not to miss the best opportunity for treatment, so that the child can also return to the former lively and lively early.