Congenital Hip Dislocation

In most cases, the disorder will be noted and treated in infancy. If left unattended for too long, however, it becomes harder to treat and can permanently affect the child's ability to walk. Congenital hip dislocation affects one out of every 250 newborns and is more common in girls than in boys.

WHEN SHOULD I SUSPECT THAT MY CHILD HAS CONGENITAL HIP DISLOCATION?
Your pediatrician will check for the disorder during routine physical examinations at birth and during the first year of life. If the dislocation is only partial at birth, the condition can go unrecognized. If so, as months go by, the hip joint will become increasingly unstable and limit the range of motion in the affected leg. You should suspect congenital hip dislocation if your child is unstable when placing weight on the affected leg and if his pelvis tilts toward the stable side while walking.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?
Many newborns with hip dislocations begin to improve without treatment within weeks of diagnosis. If no improvement occurs, however, the physician may fit the child's thighs with a brace to force the displaced thigh bone into proper position in the hip socket. The brace will still allow the baby some movement. In newborns, this treatment usually corrects the disorder in six to eight weeks.

After six months of age, the child may be too large and strong to tolerate wearing a brace and may have to undergo traction (the use of weights, ropes and pulleys to realign the joint bones) and spend several months in a cast. If the defect is left untreated for too long, surgery may be needed to restore the joint to its correct position, and the child may have permanent problems in walking.

GETTING HELP
Call your doctor if:

• You or your spouse have a family history of congenital hip dislocation. This will alert the doctor to examine the child at regular intervals for symptoms of the disorder.

• Your child stands or walks with an unstable gait and his pelvis tilts to one side

Excerpt from THE DISNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BABY & CHILD CARE, © 1995 DSH Communications, Inc. This material is based on current medical research and, to the best of the editors' knowledge and understanding, is accurate and valid. However the reader should not use information contained in this material to alter a medically prescribed regimen or as a form of self-treatment, without seeking the advice of a licensed physician.