Hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia Causes
Certain practices such as infant swaddling and use of the cradle-board in certain cultures heighten the chances of developing hip dysplasia. Hence environmental factors are also at play.
Hip dysplasia Definition
Hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease that, in its more severe form, can eventually lead to crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints.
Hip dysplasia Diagnosis
A new procedure can now be utilized as a screening test to check for hip dysplasia in the newborn, using an Ultrasound machine. This is in many ways better than an X-ray examination, which results to radiation and is notorious for being inaccurate for hip dysplasia.
Hip dysplasia Symptoms and Signs
The most typical scenario is the pediatrician detecting a "hip click" during routine post-natal checkup. Actually, a "clunk", rather than a "click" is detected in the unstable hip, but it needs experience to tell a "clunk" from a "click". In the older infant, the pediatrician may suspect the problem if the child has tight hip adductors, which is when he has a hard time spreading the baby's hips. He may also notice that the skin creases around the groin or the buttocks are assymmetrical, or the legs may appear to be of different lengths.
Hip dysplasia Treatment
In a child older that 1 year, closed reduction alone may be impossible. Open reduction is required for this. This involves making an incision to expose the hip at surgery, decreasing the hip under direct vision, and stabilizing the hip by reinforcing the hip capsule. The child is then fitted in a hip spica cast.