title: The genesis of Perthes' disease: does it lie in hips with reduced ranges of movement?
abstract: Noting that Perthes' disease is relatively common in Caucasian British children compared with black African children, this study was carried out to compare the range of hip movements in a series of 100 normal Ghanaian children and 182 normal British children, between 5 and 6 years of age. A significantly increased range of movement was found in the African group in all parameters, (P<0.001). The changes were even more marked when sex was taken into consideration, female children having a much bigger range of movement than the males in both racial groups. The unaffected hips in a series of 51 Caucasian children presenting with unilateral Perthes' disease were then analysed and were found to have a reduced range of movement compared with normal, in flexion, abduction, internal rotation in flexion and external rotation in extension (P<0.001). It is suggested that one of the reasons why some hips are vulnerable to Perthes' disease could be a preexisting restricted range of movement, which renders them more susceptible to strain injuries.
authors.affiliation: Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, South Wales, UK. keithtayton@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tayton
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005270:Femur Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007873:Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People