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| State University of New York at Buffalo - Department of Orthopaedics |
| SLIPPED CAPITAL FEMORAL EPIPHYSIS (SCFE) |
| Your child may have been limping or complaining of hip or knee pain. The symptoms may have come on slowly, or your child may have had an injury while playing contact sports. By viewing x-rays of your child's pelvis, your physician has diagnosed the condition as SCFE. |
| WHAT IS SLIPPED CAPITAL FEMORAL EPIPHYSIS? |
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The top (epiphysis) of the thigh bone fits into the socket of the hip (acetabulum). This epiphysis, which sits on a growth plate, can slip to the side, causing gradual or sudden pain. The cause for the slip may be due to several factors: - a weakness in the hip caused by hormonal changes - excessive weight - a family history of hip problems. SCFE most commonly occurs in overweight adolescent boys. |
| WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR SLIPPED CAPITAL FEMORAL EPIPHYSIS? |
| It is critically important to have your child stop walking on the leg immediately when diagnosed, and to be admitted to the hospital. If your child continues to walk, the hip could slip further, resulting in permanent damage to the blood supply to the head of the femur (thigh bone). Your physician will recommend crutches or bed rest, and perform corrective surgery. |
| The operation involves placing a pin in the head of the femur (epiphysis) to stop the slipped portion from becoming worse. After surgery, your child will use crutches until your physician has determined that the hip has healed. There is also the possibility that the other hip could slip; therefore your physician will observe it closely and may recommend pinning the other hip as well. The pins are usually left in the hip, but may be removed if they become bothersome. |
| Answers to Commonly Asked Questions |
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1. Complications may occur if the blood supply to the head of the femur is damaged; this could lead to the need for further surgeries to position the hip 2. You will need to discuss returning to contact sports with your physician before your child plays football, basketball, etc. 3. Your child will need to watch his or her weight to lessen the probability of further hip problems 4. This condition should not affect your child's ability to have children or lead a normal life 5. There is the possibility of residual abnormality in the hip joint which may require further surgeries |
| Back to the Children's Hospital of Buffalo - Department of Orthopaedics |