Version July 2025
| Historical feature | Potential clinical significance |
| Age | |
Typical age for:
| |
| Sex | |
| More common in males: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, septic arthritis, transient synovitis, SCFE More common in females: Idiopathic chondrolysis, chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis | |
| Pain | |
| Onset | Acute: Infectious, transient synovitis, acute trauma Insidious: SCFE, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, spondyloarthritis |
| Severity | Refusal to bear weight: Septic arthritis, osteomyelitis (femur or pelvis), malignancy, trauma, transient synovitis; also may be due to discitis or secondary avascular necrosis Willing to bear weight with limp or antalgic gait: Transient synovitis, systemic JIA, SCFE, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, or secondary avascular necrosis |
| Location | Isolated hip pain (which may be localized to the thigh or knee): Septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, SCFE Pain in other joints (uncommon): Viral/postviral, JIA |
| Associated systemic symptoms | |
| Fever | Infection, systemic JIA, IBD-associated arthritis, neoplasm |
| Other constitutional (eg, fatigue, weight loss) or gastrointestinal symptoms (eg, change in bowel pattern) | Systemic JIA, IBD-associated arthritis, neoplasm |
| Rash | Systemic JIA, viral/postviral |
| Past medical history | |
| Previous episodes of hip pain | Systemic JIA, transient synovitis, mechanical |
| Kidney failure | SCFE |
| Endocrine disorder (hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency) | SCFE |
| Recent infection | Postinfectious or reactive arthritis, septic arthritis (if bacterial), osteomyelitis (if bacterial) |
| Recent antibiotics | May alter the presentation of septic arthritis or osteomyelitis |
| Systemic glucocorticoid use | May be associated with secondary avascular necrosis |
| Tick exposure | Lyme arthritis |
| Family history | |
| Family history of inflammatory arthritis, psoriasis, IBD, or uveitis may be associated with JIA | |
| Social history | |
| Sports participation, particularly endurance sports or dance | Stress fracture, iliac apophysitis, snapping iliopsoas tendon, trochanteric bursitis; acetabular labral tear, femoroacetabular impingement |
| Sexually active | Infectious (eg, disseminated gonococcal) or reactive (Chlamydia trachomatis) arthritis |
