Office management in Legg-Calve-Perthes syndrome.

As a result of the information offered, one can assume that most patients with Legg-Calve-Perthes syndrome could be treated in the outpatient area. Most patients can be treated by the primary orthopedist and do not require a pediatric orthopedist. The simplest precaution remains for each patient to be very carefully evaluated throughout the treatment course for pain, muscle spasm, and limitation of hip motion. Usually pain and limited joint motion are not prominent and certainly are to be alleviated if at all possible. Early in the course of the disease these complaints can usually be eliminated by bed rest, traction, and warm compresses. An exact time to achieve this goal is not available, but it is usually a matter of weeks. On occasion, it may require months for the irritability to subside prior to application of containment therapy. Weight bearing during the healing stage should be avoided in the presence of pain and limitation of motion. Persistence of these symptoms usually portends a poor prognosis.