My 14 yr old daughter has been having periodic hip pain. I thought this was growing pains or minor stiffness. She started limping so I researched it online and got scared when I came across (SCFE). We went to her pediatrician and sure enough he suspects it could be this or some form of Arthritis. He sent her for Xrays and a blood test to check for arthritis. I pray its not either of these. If she has SCFE she'll have to have surgery to put a pin through the top of the leg bone to the hip - they usually do both sides since it most likely would end up affecting the other hip. If its arthritis this is also very worrying.

I would normally tell people not to worry until the results come in but this is hard because its my child. SCFE happens when there's a slip at the growth plate at the top of the leg bone, that meets at the ball joint. In severe cases the leg bone can slip off the ball affecting blood supply. I never knew kids could have serious hip problems. If any parents have teenagers who have hip pain enough to causes a limp, take him/her to the doctor right away. If untreated this can cause permanent leg length difference and limp. Here's more info on this condition:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001967/

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/SCFE.html#