DDH - when should it be treated?

[schplappo]

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me. My DD (who was a breech baby) had a routine ultrascan at 7 weeks which identified DDH in her left hip. She's been referred to a different hospital and I expected - based on my own research on internet about how to treat DDH - that she would be treated quickly but I've been told that they won't see her until she's 12 weeks at which point they'll give her another ultrasound before she has any kind of treatment.

I wondered if anyone else has experience of this - is this the normal procedure for treating DDH? Or have you had children treated more quickly than this?

I'm concerned that by leaving it, it could be getting worse whereas right now she is less developed and presumably it would be easier to fix whilst her bones are less fixed.

Thank you!

Definitely easier to treat ASAP - my dd had it & was in a Pavlik harness for 8 weeks from 8-16 weeks old.

A friend's dd wasn't diagnosed till about 8 months old, she was in a cast for 6 months in total.

My DD was diagnosed at 6 weeks and was in a Pavlik Harness for 12 weeks. The sooner the better as they're less mobile and its not so frustrating. There are degrees of DDH and the harness may not be necessary. Make sure she has her legs in the frog position a lot (not straight) don't swaddle her and splay her legs a lot as if you were putting the soles of her feet together, so knees up, then legs apart (it'll probably make her giggle). This is the best position for helping the thigh bone to sit in the socket. When you hold her, hold her against your body so her legs splay out to the side and if you are bfing, feed in the rugby hold so her legs can fall open. Also, when you change her nappy don't lift her by her feet as that pulls the bone away from the socket. Slide your hand under her bottom and lift her that way.

I wish someone had told me all this as if I'd done this from the start a Pavlik Harness would not have been necessary and my DD really did not like being in it.

The John Radcliffe Children's Orthopedic Unit is a center of excellence and they are brilliant and they see people from other parts of the country. I would try and push for a referral to them. Its not right to wait until she's 12 weeks, but she may be a borderline case and they are monitoring with ultra sound scans instead of putting her into a harness. I'd be really interested if you could let me know how you get on. .

Thank you all for the advice. I'm going to see my GP and see if I can get some advice there. I'll let you know how i get on.

I work as a Paediatric Physio and fit and monitor babies in Pavlik harness. In our area if identified as a concern at birth due to breech birth then they would have their 1st ultrasound at 4 weeks of age. If abnormal and requiring Consultant follow-up then they are seen. If just outside normal parameters they would be re-scanned in 4-6 weeks to check that the hip was improving. If it is not then they would have Consultant review and then treatment commences, which is normally a Pavlik harness at this age.

As they get older it still remains very treatable. After about 4 months of age we use a hip abduction brace.

You may get lots of helpful info on ww.steps-charity.org.uk

Early, early early! My dd had it and was put in the pavlik harness within 4 weeks which apparently improved it's success rate by a huge margin. Be really pushy and don't be fobbed off. Some areas have a really bad record for dealing with this problem. Also, I found very little support out there, so if your little one needs treatment feel free to get in touch. It can help to talk to someone who's been through it. Good luck.