I have a three year old nephew who over the last week or so has developed a slight limp. He sort of flops his right leg forward. However, he seems to run just fine. Also, when he stands, he is somewhat reluctant to put full weight on the leg. He does not complain of any pain, and says he doesn’t feel any when asked. He has not had any accidents in the past months. Let me stress that his parents are giving him full medical attention. I’m just curious if any others have had similar experiences, and any info you might have to offer.
Check his toenails. Seriously. The last time I saw one of my kids limping, it was a toenail.
It could be anything and it could be nothing. Foot drop, i.e. dragging one’s foot, can be a sign of neurologic problems. More likely, the kid has a splinter or bruised his foot or something. The fact that he won’t admit to feeling pain doesn’t mean much. I’ve had conversations with my son that are slightly reminiscent of the Monty Python “its only a flesh wound” bit. At other times a idiotic things such as bumping into him with a pillow has sent him into the bottomless pits of pain. If he is still limping after a reasonable amount of time or it worsens, get him to a doctor.
I swear that veternarians and pediatricians must take some of the same classes to do what they do.
cj
Does he do it barefoot too? Shoes that are being outgrown can cause limping. Here’s a webpage with several different possibilities, few of which sound pleasent. Hopefully it’s something that goes away under the “trama” heading like splinters, shoes not fiting or a cut. http://www.hypertension-consult.com/Secure/textbookarticles/Textbook/110_limpingchild.htm
You might want to consider a chiropractor. When the back is out of alignment, the hips are often misaligned as well, to compensate. Misaligned hips cause the legs to reach different lengths, and can cause a limp.
Personally, I can tell when I need to go to my chiropractor when my hip starts hurting when walking long distances. People also feel it in the knees, and other joints. If you’re not landing on the leg properly, things will get screwed up.