Limp in childhood.

A method is presented to assist the physician in diagnosing the cause of a limp in a child. This is based on how diseases alter locomotion. The normal gait can be affected in any one of five ways: shortened extremity, contracture, loss of supporting structures, pain, and paralysis. Each of these pathological states produces a characteristic limp which can be observed and recorded by noting the movements of the pelvis and the trunk, and the position of the joints of the lower extremities. Once the examiner has determined how the gait is affected, it becomes less difficult to determine the causative condition, based on the history, physical examination, and ancillary studies which would be ordered.