Pitfalls
| Common pitfalls | Missed diagnosis |
| Failure to recognise previous limping issues suggestive of chronic rather than acute disease. | Developmental dysplasia of the hip, Perthes and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. |
| Not correctly localising the joint causing pain, for example, incorrectly diagnosing knee pain rather than hip pain. | Slipped upper femoral epiphysis. |
| Giving antibiotics before obtaining samples for culture in suspected septic arthritis/osteomyelitis. | Potential failure to confirm diagnosis/identify organism. |
| Not identifying bone (as opposed to joint) as the source of pain and tenderness. | Malignancy (haematological or primary bone tumour). |
| Not examining the abdomen and missing an intra-abdominal cause of ‘hip pain’. | Appendicitis. |
| Not examining the testicles in boys. | Testicular torsion. |
| Not checking for lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and pallor. | Haematological malignancy. |