My Mother in law has dementia and has been limping and complaining of pain in her leg. She only limps when she sees us looking at her.

I would be careful about dismissing her pain complaints without a doctor's examination because they are several conditions that result in transient pain, some are inconvenient and some are serious. I have arthritis in my hip, knee, and ankle from an old injury. Sometimes I experience an uncomfortable ache that doesn't bother me much unless I'm trying to fall asleep. Sometimes I'm walking around on a nice level floor and experience a shooting pain. Sometimes the knee and ankle are stiff but after I'm up and walking a bit, I can walk normally with no discomfort.

People with dementia have difficulty describing pain or other body discomforts. When you ask the same question repeatedly (is it hurting here), sometimes they sense your frustration and start changing the answer trying to satisfy you. My father with vascular dementia told me once he was limping because his foot hurt. I found a toenail just long enough for the corner to dig into the toe next to it.

If there's a hallway where you could use a web cam to capture some examples of her walking it might be very helpful to the doctor.

Swillia1426, have your Mom's doctor check her for possible blood clots and/or varicose veins. Such veins can be calm and some times they can be very painful. My Mom had both situations. The blood clots had to quickly be controlled.

My mother is a real Sarah Heartburn, she missed her calling, should have been on the stage! She pulls this all the time. Gets her what she wants...attention.