The wound is left open, and the patient is placed in a spica cast with a window over the hip and kept in the appropriate position for dependent drainage. Antibiotic coverage should be broad spectrum until culture results become available. When the infection is under control and drainage has ceased, range of motion exercises are begun. Oral antibiotics are given until the ESR has returned to normal. The goals of treatment in Legg-Perthes disease are to prevent subluxation, to preserve sphericity of the femoral head, and to maintain good muscle function to allow for normal gait.
Early treatment consists of bed rest, and traction to reduce spasms and synovitis.
Sometimes abduction bracing, or surgical reconstruction are necessary to maintain the femoral head within the acetabulum. The objectives of treatment in SCFE are to prevent further slipping and to gain gentle correction, while minimizing the risk of avascular necrosis or chondrolysis. Many will receive home physical therapy or nursing care and some patients will need acute in-patient rehabilitation. Transient synovitis of the hip represents the most common cause of hip pain in childhood. The condition's true cause is unknown.