My daughter has short legs! should I be concerned?

[PavlovtheCat]

My 18mth DD is quite small for her age, always has been, but eats healthy, developmentally is beyond her age in most things, on target at the very least for everything. She is walking well, trying to run, which is comical, has some wobbles but nothing that seems out of character for her age.

She is growing steadily and is distinctly heavier in the last couple of days after a growth spurt. She has just gone into 12-18mth clothing, which is a bit big but 9-12 is getting too small.

Height wise, she is almost at 75centile, which is great! Although she is very slight with it, so looks smaller. However, her body seems to be the right size, she seems in proportion, but her legs are very short. they look too short. Her feet dont seem to be growing, she is still in size 3 shoes and we thought babies went through shoes like hot dinners?

Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

Let me check the centile, might hav that wrong, she is defintely above 50th.

I'd say it's all normal. My DD has always had shortish legs. She wears age 3-4 trousers and age 5-6 in everything else. She's getting more in proportion as she gets older though (she's 4 and a half now).

Oh good, that reassuring. I actually have quite short legs compared to my body, does not notice, only I notice, just dont have models' legs!
I guess she just has my body proprtions!
I am just a little anxious as health visitor told me and DH that she was failing to thrive when she was about 6 months old which was bullshit and after her 8mth check, which was fine, we did not go back as she was so condecending. Just fear there might be something wrong afterall and we are missing it.

The fact that she is walking and running around says she is most likely to be ok, my dd has very short legs and size 2.5 feet, she is 16 months. The major difference though, is that she has never been able to weightbare. We have just found out she has Bi-lateral DDH, which is why her legs are short and she can't walk.

I'm sure in your case this wouldn't be a possibility, but there is no harm in getting your GP or HV to check her hips anyway. It would put your mind at rest.

Loopylena - what Bi-lateral DDH? Is it overcomeable? (is that a word?!!), am guessing its a hip problem?

She has been walking since she was 12months old, but I might get her checked anyway, have to go see the health visitor I guess!

Does she have dimples just above her bottom or any dark hair there?

Tulip27 - she has two dimples above her bottom - dont all babies? I have them too ?

no dark hair tho

Bi- lateral means both sides, DDH is Developmental Dislocated Hip.

It is normally picked up at birth by scarily it is missed until lo's should be walking, some do walk, but with limps or waddles.

When your lo's are babies they do the hip tests, where they bend the knees and rotate the hips, normally there would be clicking or popping if there is a problem and restriction. It is more commin in one side, therefore one leg would be longer than the other and they look for an extra crease at the top of the leg.

DD passed all these tests because it's both sides and she also has ligament laxity, so there was no restriction in the movement. This aside, her hips have always 'popped' and I am annoyed this was never investigated.

The HV just said the fact that she wasn't sitting unaided or rolling over and weightbaring by the usual age was because she was a late developer! DD actually has no hip sockets! It's quite a scary story, on another post if you want to look.

Please don't panic into thinking your lo has this, I didn't mean to put the fear of god into you! Just thought it's worth getting her hips checked if you are worried about her leg length.

If you look at this thread there are other mums on their with similar issues.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/138/431463?ts=1201117966733

Oh loopy - how horrible for you . I will get her hips checked, but think she is walking ok, she has been able to roll since 3 months and crawling and walking early, but best to get things ruled out. Would never forgive myself if there was something wrong and I left it.

Well, I sincerely hope they find nothing wrong at all and your DD just has lovely dainty little legs.

Loopylena, sympathies, but you have a few facts a bit wrong! Ddh (developmental dysplasia of the hip) doesn't necessarily mean the child can't walk, in fact, most children with undiagnosed ddh DO walk, and it isn't until they walk that the problem is identified. This is because most dislocated hips only occur on one side, and the most obvious problem is a limp. In bilateral cases, there is no difference between the two legs, so it's difficult to identify that there is a problem.

The neonatal hip screening test, is just that, a screening test, it picks up SOME of the babies with ddh, as it detects movement of the ball of the hip joint into or out of the socket. The accuracy of the test depends on many things, but mostly the experience of the examiner, but it will NEVER pick up all cases at birth. It is however better than not testing any babies at all.

DDH is a spectrum, which can range from mild underdevelopment of the socket to frank dislocation of one or both hips. It isn't painful, and needn't delay walking. It is more common in babies who have been breech, have a family history, or have another congenital anomaly, but can crop up in any child for no obvious reason. In most hospitals, children who have a "risk factor' have an ultrasound scan shortly after birth, which can pick up some cases that can't be felt, but it still doesn't pick up all of them.

It sounds as if your dd was a little unusual in that she had BOTH lax ligaments AND underdeveloped sockets. It's also perfectly possible that clinical examination only wouldn't have picked up the condition, as there was nothing to feel at first. There is a variant of ddh, where the hips feel normal at birth, but go on to dislocate, because the shallow sockets never develop. I hope your dd's treatment is successful, anyway.

Pavlov, I doubt if your dd has ddh (but it's not completely impossible ). If you're worried, you should ask for a referral to a paediatrician, as short leags can OCCASIONALLy be a sign of a problem with the development of the bones.Mostly it's normal.

loopylena, I've just read your other thread...it sounds like you've been through a lot, and I understand your frustration. I'm glad that you've seen the consultant, and that your dd's treatment will begin soon. You're in good hands, I know the lady concerned. If you haven't already, you should contact Steps they'll be a lot of help.

I never said it did mean the child can't walk! I actually said they may walk with a limp or waddle if they have one hip dislocated. I said my DD can't walk.

I also never said anything about all cases being picked up at birth!

I also said it's very unlikely that Pavlov's DD has anything like this!

Please don't tell me I have my facts wrong, when you have clealy misread what I have written.

Thanks tissy, I have contacted steps.

Let's not fight about this....there are several factual misunderstandings in your paragraph, butnot the ones you've accused me of accusing you of. Neither did I accuse you of giving Pavolv the wrong info about her dd- I was simply reiterating what you'd said.

I apologise for my essay, but this is a subject VERY close to my heart. I have to deal with several very angry parents a year who cannot uderstand why their child has ddh, when it "should have been picked up at birth". Most cases are NOT picked up at birth, but the severity of the condition, and the cost of treating missed cases, means that screening is worthwhile, as it picks up some of the ones that would be missed if the screening weren't done.

Ironically, the only place in the UK that currently screens every baby born with ultrasound is Coventry. Even then, they still miss a few cases that develop later.

If one parent reads my post, and doesn't have a go at their well-meaning orthopaedic surgeon/ paediatrician, then it will have been worthwhile.

tissy, please forgive my oversensitivity, I am extreemly stressed out at the mo, I never wanted to be in a childrens hospital again after DS1, I thought I'd done my fair share!
Worried about leaving DS2, feel torn, yet again!

I do understand why DD's wasn't found at birth, or any of the other times I repeatedly talked to the HV.

I can understand the frustration of other parents though, I had to explain the reasons why this wasn't found sooner to my mum, mil, sil and even DH!

You comments about Mrs D are very encouraging!

BTW, DD was born at George Eliot, they don't screen there

What have the dimples got to do with it? My dd is 18mths and only just walking but with a funny gait. She didn't roll till 11mths and started bottom shuffling at about 12-13mths- didn't move before that and refused to wait bear. Her dimples are very obvious but most people seem to have them, don't they?

She also has short legs and size 3 feet but then my ds has only just come out of 9-12mth trousers and he is nearly 3 so I wouldn't worry about that!

My mum and sis who are both doctors have both mentioned spina bifida occulta to me but most of the time I just put it down to slow develpoment? what do all you experts think?

sorry not meaning to hijack- just interested!

Have your mum or sis looked at her hips? Spina bifida seems a drastic suggestion

I am still interested in what the dimples mean, esp as I have them too, I thought everyone had them!!!

I thought DD was going into 12-18 clothes, however put a new mothercare sleepsuit on her and looks like she has duck feet! She is clearly not 12-18 on her legs. That on its own has not really bothered me, I know lots of people who have children that are much bigger or much smaller than the average clothes size, its rather that when I look at her her legs 'look' short, out of proportion, and she is growing but seems to be her upper body more than lower body.

It seems that the hip problem is an extremely stressful thing to be dealing with, and I give my support and thoughts to you Loopy going through it.

I think it has made me realise not to be complacent with DDs health and presume she all is ok, go and get told its all ok, then if a problem, it can be rectified, or worked with.

I will go see health visitor tomorrow, a different one as cant really bear to see the other patronising, uncaring one! And also have not been for too long so will get into trouble and am not good at being made to feel like a child caught nicking a biscuit

Hmmm, no-one seems to sheding light on the 'dimples' thing, do they?

I've always thought dimples are cute! Not ot them on my bum though! Only cellulite!!

Going bed now... nite nite.

Nite nite Lena - thanks for your info and hope all work out well with your LO.

x sleep well

dimples - I have just done a quick search and I think Tulip was referring to something called 'Sacral Dimple', which, and dont quote me as I am only just reading it now, is to do with a malfunction of the spinal cord/neural tube, and will appear as dimples on the spine, above the bottom.

It appears, from what I have read, got nothing to do with those two soft cute little baby dimples that my DD has, which are either side of her spine, above her bottom - these, I had always thought, were pressure points to do with nerves in the back which everyone had, but some were more prominent than others?

I wont go into any more detail about it as I know nothing at all about it. But this is what Tulip was referring to.

ah also been reading that sacral dimples are common and the majority of them do not cause any problems - scar tissue mainly and fade in time, although very rarely can indicate spinal problem.