Positive story - Developmental displasia of the Hip

[justkeepingittogether]

Hello

I would like to share a positive story - my daughter was breech and delivered by CS - with her legs round her ears! At the 6 week scan to check her hips it was found she had DDH - developmental displasia of the hips - basically the ball and socket joint very shallow particularly in one hip. In order to correct this she spent 4 months in a harness - from 8 weeks old. She wore it 23 hrs a day and we only bathed her once a week. Looking back on it I get a little upset seeing the photos and seeing her trussed up.

She is now just over a year old and walking - though that causes me lots of worry as she falls down (another post coming on that!).

I wanted to share this for anyone else who gets a diagnosis of DDH - in 95% of cases it is easily corrected and please don't worry about it - though be prepared for questions from people and downright ignorant reactions (doctor in my antenatal group - "oh my god has broken her leg").

Oh good for your dd.

My dd had this - although not as severely as yours by the sounds of things - and it was corrected with the help of physio. She didn't walk until 16 months, although I don't think this was connected, and is now one of the most active girls I know.

Very pleased it all worked out for you.

Thank you for your post - I hope you did not feel I was boasting about her walking now - because it could have happened later and it just so happens she is doing it now. I just simply want people who have this diagnosis to know that it will be alright.

My DD was almost exactly the same as yours, Just. Only difference that she spent 8 months in harness 24/7 bar one bath a week. Completely agree that if it's spotted early enough it is usually pretty easily corrected. Was your DD in a Pavliks?

Yes for the first 2 months and then when we moved abroad in a funny contraption that had splints which kept the legs apart.

This is surprisingly common in some countries.. eg. France, Germany and Austria -and barely heard of in others. It is associated more with girl babies, with breach births and is hereditary. My experience with several babies is that treatment works well with a harness in most cases. I think doctors in UK do check for "clicky hips" normally though. That is the check for this and the earliest spotted the better. It was spotted in my lo within a couple of days of birth...

Of course you're not boasting! Just thought I'd put down my experiences for anyone doing a search in the future.

hello thank you for your post. The health visitor has advised we take our 3 week old to see the GP after we mentioned that we had thought cd hear a click in her right hip. No appointments for a week though and I am getting increasingly worried about how serious this cd be. Nothing spotted in the tests in hospital...but worried at what it may mean.

My dd also had this. She was also a breech birth and born with her legs round her ears! She was successfully treated from 2 weeks old to 15 weeks old in a Pavlik Harness.

She does have to be checked annually until she is 5 years old though, so I wouldn't call it a success story just yet.