Other therapeutic procedures

In addition to the possible medication to relieve pain or inflammation of the joint, relief plays an important role in Perthes disease. Orthoses can relieve the force/pressure on the hip joint and thus protect the femoral head (e.g. Thomas splint), crutches may be necessary at times, and even complete relief for a short time, e.g. in a wheelchair, may be necessary in severe cases. In such cases, the psychological aspect for parents and child must also be considered (fear, isolation, shame).

Perthes disease – aseptic osteochondrosis

Perthes disease is an aseptic (germ-free) osteochondrosis of the child’s femoral head and is one of the most common orthopedic diseases of the hip joint in children of the appropriate age. Aseptic means that there are no bacterial causes for the disease, and osteochondrosis means that cartilage tissue is degraded due to an undersupply. Perthes disease occurs in early childhood. Boys are affected much more frequently than girls.Perthes disease progresses in four stages and can heal without permanent restrictions or, in severe cases, lead to a deformity of the femoral head. The disease usually extends over a long period of time (months to about 5 years) and should be permanently accompanied by physiotherapeutic treatment of the hip, in the sense of physiotherapy.

Perthes disease – symptomatic osteochondrosis

Perthes disease usually occurs at the age of 5-7 years (but children can develop Perthes disease between 2-13 years of age) and progresses individually for each patient. The causes of the disease are often not found or are still unknown. One speaks of symptomatic osteochondrosis when, for example, Perthes disease occurs after a previous trauma.

In Perthes disease, the blood supply to the child’s femoral head is inadequate, which can lead to the breakdown of bone tissue and subsequent reconstruction. Depending on the reconstruction of the cartilage, an intact joint surface (healing of Perthes disease) may develop or a joint deformity may remain. Externally, the hip joint shows few symptoms of a progressing inflammation, such as joint effusion or swelling, which makes it difficult to diagnose Perthes disease. Children restrict the movement of the affected hip joint and this can lead to joint dysfunction and relieving posture.