Hip and Leg Pain, Limping Can Be Cause for Alarm in Young Boys

A little over three years ago, my son, at that time age 10, began complaining of his right hip and upper leg hurting. He said it bothered him a lot whether he was walking, running, standing, sitting or laying down. I dismissed it as growing pains. Over the course of a three week period he continued to complain. I didn't really think much of it and gave him pain medicine. During the third week when I noticed he was walking with a limp, a warning siren went off in my head that something definitely wasn't right.

I immediately made an appointment with the doctor we went to. This doctor had only been practicing in our town for about a year and was brand new to the medical profession. I really liked him though and hoped that his medical expertise was as wonderful as his personality. The day I took my son to see the doctor, I explained to him when he had begun complaining and how he had described his pain. I told him about the limp. He asked if my son had fallen or been in any other kind of accident. The answer to both was no. The doctor said he wanted to have x-rays taken of the hip area. After he looked at the x-rays he told me he was pretty certain what the problem was, and it wasn't anything too pleasant. He said to be 100% positive my son would need to have an MRI done.