Educate me about the very unusual cast we saw on a little girl today

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Was out shopping with dd (10) and ds (7) and we saw a little girl, probably about a year or 18 months old, in her pram, with both legs in a cast and a pole between them holding the legs apart. It looked so extreme and ds, who is very sensitive, felt really sad for the little child and is still talking/worrying about it now.

I'd like to tell him how it would be helping her, what problem it is that she might have, and let him know that she will be fine (hopefully).

Isn't that something to do with hip dysplasia?

I think it's a problem with clicky hips, and it's only temporary afaik

Could it have been club foot? I think I saw a docu about this once and it sounded similar.

My friends ds had Perthes Disease which is a disease of the hips and he had to wear one of those for about 2 years poor thing. He's totally fine now though and doesn't really remember much about it.

Hmm, not sure now - I found this on wiki but I think I have seen the ones you mean and they are different to this
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia_(human)

hip problems

article here news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8560792.stm

It sounds like a clicky hip to me, though the baby I saw with one was only a few months old IIRC. Congenital hip displacement is the proper word, if that's what it was. They have to keep the legs at that angle to sort the hips out. If its that, she'll be fine.

She has congential disclocation of her hip joints. She will have to stay in the cast until she has grown enough to stabilize the joints.

All babies are supposed to be screened for "clicky hips" at birth, and 6 weeks, and at subsequent developmental checks, so that they can be treated early.

She will be fine.

It is good that it has been picked up.

Thanks all. You've got to love Mumsnet. I remember ds being checked for this at 6 weeks. Will tell him that the little girl is going to be fine. There's a big chance we will see her out and about again as we were on our local High Street. Her casts were a v groovy purple colour .

cast definitely temporary and afaik no long term problem, my niece had that and she is now 20+ with no probs at all. I remember seeing her and was but the family were not that concerned as knew it was short-term

My son had to this after having surgery earlier this year, and he's 6. It's called a broom-stick plaster cast (for obvious reasons!) and was bloody hard to live with both for him and us! He has Perthes and had a femoral osteotomy in January, wore the casts for about 3 months. Sincerely hope we hever have to go through that again!!

Also used to treat fractured femurs in little kids after traction ..