Hip Injuries, Age 11 and Younger
Home Treatment
Home treatment may help relieve your child's hip pain, swelling, and stiffness. If your child will cooperate, use the following tips. If your child becomes upset or will not cooperate, do not force your child.
- Rest. Have your child rest and protect the sore hip. Have your child stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing pain or soreness.
- Ice will help your child's pain and swelling. Put Reference ice or cold packs on the sore area immediately. Put ice on for 20 minutes out of every hour and do this 4 or more times in the first 1 to 2 days. If your child is cooperative, use the ice often. If your child is not cooperative, use the ice as much as you can without struggling with your child. Wrap the ice in a wet towel. Do not put the ice right on the skin. Take the ice off if your child falls asleep.
- Place your child on the uninjured side for sleep.
- Gently massage or rub your child's hip to relieve pain and encourage blood flow.
- For the first 1 to 2 days after an injury, do not let your child do things that may increase swelling, such as taking hot showers, using hot tubs, or using hot packs.
- After 2 to 3 days, if the swelling is gone, Reference heat can be put on the hip. Your child can carefully begin normal activities. Moist heat with a hot water bottle, warm towel, or a heating pad set on low may feel good to your child.
| Try a nonprescription medicine to help treat your child's fever or pain: |
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Talk to your child's doctor before switching back and forth between doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. When you switch between two medicines, there is a chance your child will get too much medicine. |
| Be sure to follow these safety tips when you use a nonprescription medicine: |
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Cast care tips
If your child has a cast, see Reference cast care tips.
Symptoms to watch for during home treatment
Reference Call your child's doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:
- Pain or swelling develops.
- Reference Signs of infection Opens New Window develop.
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness develops.
- Pale, white, blue, or cold skin develops.
- Your child does not want to bear weight on the side of the hip injury.
- Symptoms do not get better with home treatment.
- Symptoms become more severe or more frequent.
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