Posted by Gary on February 05, 2004 at 15:53:19:
In Reply to: questions posted by Stacie Warren on February 05, 2004 at 08:12:38:
Legg Perthes is not inherited. Studies have found no genetic link that indicates that Legg Perthes is transmitted from parents to children. There is, however, a significant body of literature and anecdotal information that indicates that Legg Perthes occurs in multiple generations of some families. There are instances of children whose parent or grandparent or uncle (or aunt) or cousin had Perthes. Some people have speculated that there may be characteristics that a family has (I'm not sure what they may be or that anyone knows) that make it more likely that a child will develop Perthes.
You are following good advice to give the situation time to resolve itself (which it will if it is a muscle strain or something simnilar) and to follow up with xrays if it does not.
Trauma, falling, jumping, rough play, etc. does not cause Perthes. In cases in which a child has Perthes, trauma may exacerbate the symptoms and lead to an earlier diagnosis than woudl have been made otherwise.