There are often cases when the parents of a newborn child or a pediatrician during an examination notice that the lower limbs of the baby are of different lengths, there is no symmetry of the skin folds on them, and the extension to the sides of the legs bent at the knees is limited. The reason for this is underdevelopment of the hip joint in newborns (hypoplasia). Treatment of this pathology must begin immediately.
Dysplasia, hypoplasia, congenital dislocation - all these names were previously considered practically synonymous or very similar concepts. Today, pediatric orthopedists separate these diseases. Insufficient development of the hip joint in a baby can lead to displacement of the femoral head and its protrusion from the acetabulum. Underdevelopment of articular elements is considered a pathology if the condition does not normalize by 3-4 months of life.
With similar symptoms, dysplasia and underdevelopment of the hip joints are different diseases. In the first case, the problem is caused by a violation of the formation of the joint.
Hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the joint is often diagnosed during the first months of a child’s life. On average, specialists detect underdevelopment of the hip joint in 3-5% of children. If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations, this pathology can be completely compensated for by six months. In the absence of adequate treatment, it leads to the appearance of dysplasia, the degree of which depends on the severity of pathological manifestations.
It is usually not difficult to suspect an underdeveloped hip joint in a baby. It is worth paying special attention if the baby begins to worry when the mother tries to spread her bent legs to the sides, doing the “frog” exercise. Asymmetrical folds on the hips are also an alarming symptom. But it may be a consequence of impaired muscle tone. However, consultation with a specialist is necessary to rule out joint problems.
Complete dislocation is accompanied by a characteristic click caused by the sliding of the femoral head from the acetabulum. This symptom is detected when the baby’s legs are flexed at the hip and knee joints, during adduction and extension. Then the head of the bone is reduced into the glenoid cavity.
Sometimes parents and pediatricians notice the presence of joint disorders after the child is six months old. By this age, it becomes obvious that there is a limitation in spreading the baby’s legs to the sides and a lag in the growth of one lower limb in relation to the other. When the baby begins to walk, lameness due to different leg lengths attracts attention. Often a duck gait is formed, in which the child steps, waddling from one foot to the other.
Until today, experts have not come to a consensus regarding the factors causing joint hypoplasia in children. One of the main causes of underdevelopment is considered to be intrauterine development disorders, especially during the first months of pregnancy. They can be caused by the adverse effects of infectious diseases or toxins that have entered the body of the expectant mother. Poor environment, poor nutrition and frequent stressful situations during pregnancy play an important role.
Hormonal imbalance can also lead to the formation of pathology. For example, too much concentration of the hormone oxytocin immediately before childbirth causes hypertonicity of the thigh muscles in the child. This can lead to the development of subluxation. Girls especially often suffer from this disorder, as they are more sensitive to hormonal changes in their mother’s body.
The following pathological circumstances can cause hypoplasia of the hip joint in children:
The peculiarity of this pathology is that the sooner the fact of underdevelopment of the hip joints in a newborn is established, the greater the chances of a complete recovery. That is why, immediately after the baby is born, the doctor examines him. The local pediatrician, who monitors the baby’s development, also monitors the condition of the hip joints at each examination. If there is the slightest suspicion of the presence of pathology, a consultation with a pediatric orthopedist is necessary.
Parents of all newborn babies must regularly show their babies to a specialist when they are 1, 3, 6, 10 and 12 months old. There is no need to worry if your orthopedist prescribes an ultrasound examination of your child's joint. It is carried out to determine the condition of the joint structures. In many countries, ultrasound is prescribed for all infants who have reached the age of one month. If the examination reveals underdevelopment of the head of the femur, weakness of the articular ligaments, a referral is given for an x-ray to obtain a more complete picture of the pathological condition.
Even if a newborn does not have any signs of joint immaturity, visits to an orthopedist should not be neglected. After all, the earlier the disease is detected, the faster and easier it is to restore normal joint function.
In young children, the osteochondral apparatus is very flexible and easily deformed. Therefore, having identified an underdeveloped hip joint in a child, treatment must begin immediately. The specialist selects the most effective therapeutic method for each child individually.
Orthopedic treatment of hypoplasia of the hip joints in newborns involves the use of special devices that fix the baby’s legs in an extended position. These include Freik's pillows and Pavlik's stirrups.
With a mild form of the disease, the baby usually wears them only during sleep. In cases of moderate pathology, the child must wear a special design at all times. This is necessary for complete relaxation of the thigh muscles. The child's parents should not remove the spreading device without the permission of the treating orthopedist.
Typically, to achieve normal anatomical position of the femoral head in infants, continuous use of pillows and stirrups is necessary for 2-4 weeks. If improvement does not occur, there is no point in continuing treatment of underdeveloped hip diarthrosis using them. Then a special plaster structure with a spacer bar is made for the child. Its use is very effective even in severe forms of the disease and late detection of dislocation (at 6 months and later).
Orthopedic treatment of weak joints in infants is necessarily complemented by physiotherapy. For children with underdeveloped hip joints, specialists traditionally prescribe dosed ultraviolet irradiation. This procedure stimulates the production and absorption of vitamin D by the body. Electrophoresis on the hip area with solutions of phosphorus, calcium, and iodine helps reduce pain, inflammation and accelerate the restoration of the normal structure of the osteochondral tissues of the joint.
In addition to the methods listed, the following procedures are effective in the treatment of dysplasia:
A mandatory part of the therapeutic program for newborns is massage, which must be performed by a specialist. You need to start a massage course immediately after identifying the problem. It is optimal if this type of therapeutic effect on the hip joint is prescribed from the first weeks after the birth of the child.
Early treatment helps relieve muscle spasm and improve blood supply to joint structures, including the head of the femur. The treating specialist will teach parents massage techniques to relax the muscles of the lower extremities. This relaxing massage can be given to your baby at night. If a child wears an orthopedic structure due to dysplasia, the procedure is carried out without removing it.
Therapeutic gymnastics helps well to develop the hip joints. Trained parents should work with the baby not only during the treatment of hypoplasia, but also to consolidate the achieved result. The sets of exercises differ depending on the age of the child.
Sometimes experts recommend that parents start visiting the pool with their child and go swimming with him. For newborns, this is possible only after the umbilical wound has healed. But with small children you can practice swimming at home, using the bath. Swimming strengthens the ligamentous apparatus well and fixes the femoral head in a physiological position. Before starting water procedures, parents need to consult with the supervising doctor and undergo the necessary training.
If there are signs of joint underdevelopment, the child should not be placed on his legs without receiving the results of a control x-ray. If the x-ray confirms the normal position and fixation of the femoral head, parents can more often give the baby an upright position and teach him to walk.
A child should not be allowed to walk, stand, or crawl while wearing an orthopedic device. Neglecting this rule threatens to worsen the condition, even if the underdeveloped joint has already acquired a normal position.
To prevent underdevelopment of the hip joint in a baby, the expectant mother should eat well and receive the required amount of vitamins and microelements from food. Her daily diet should include the following products:
It is important to introduce complementary foods on time and diversify the baby’s diet. Incorrect and unbalanced feeding will lead to disruption of the formation of cartilage and bone tissue and the progression of joint pathology.
Wide swaddling helps prevent joint hypoplasia in newborns. It’s good if parents carry the baby with her legs spread wide apart, using a sling. In this case, the head of the child’s femur is formed and fixed normally.
Underdevelopment of the joint can lead to serious problems, including not only hip pain and gait disturbance. With age, due to hypoplasia, degenerative changes may develop, leading to limited independent movement and disability. Therefore, parents and their baby should visit an orthopedist, and if any violations are detected, strictly follow all his instructions. With timely treatment, underdevelopment of the hip joint in newborns is not a death sentence, but a problem that can be overcome.
More and more often, young mothers hear about congenital developmental defects, when terrible diagnoses are given to their very young children. One of the serious diseases is hip dysplasia in infants, which must be treated in childhood so that the baby does not suffer in the future.
Hip dysplasia in children is not a fatal disease; its danger lies in the incorrect formation of the pelvis, in which the child limps and feels periodic pain. To avoid consequences, dysplasia must be cured. The process is long and complex, but in most cases, with the mother's responsible attitude, the disease is completely cured.
Hip dysplasia in children is a congenital pathology in which abnormal development of the hip joint occurs. This defect provokes disruption of the entire hip joint, and the following situations appear:
In different cases, joint dysplasia can manifest itself differently, in one the femoral head changes, and in another there is distortion of the cartilage, but in all cases the disease is called the same and its treatment is aimed at eliminating these factors.
Hip dysplasia in newborns occurs in 3 stages:
There are several reasons why hip dysplasia occurs in children.
Many experts believe that joint dysplasia in a baby occurs due to a combination of certain factors, when there is an underdeveloped hip, while the mother does not eat well and does not take vitamins, and after giving birth she also swaddles the baby tightly, aggravating the situation.
Hip dysplasia in newborns is divided into 3 main types:
Rotational dysplasia occurs with insufficient joint development, in this case the geometry of the pelvic bones is disrupted, and the knee and hip joints interact poorly. This disease is rare and manifests itself as severe clubfoot in children.
Epiphyseal dysplasia occurs when the head of the joint slowly ossifies, causing it to become small and weak. With such dysplasia, changes in the position of the femoral neck occur, all this leads to pain, deformation of the legs and impaired mobility of the hip joint.
Acetabular dysplasia appears when the structure of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone is disrupted, in which pathology occurs in the cartilage of the limbus, at which time it unfolds and mixes the femoral head.
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia is a group of genetic diseases that are characterized by impaired growth of various bones of the body; this pathology usually manifests itself between the ages of 5 and 10 years. Sometimes such dysplasia can be congenital, then its signs appear already in the first months of life.
Typically the disease manifests itself with the following symptoms:
Over time, the child’s condition worsens, scoliosis and other changes appear. Most often, such patients are small in stature, they develop pain in the back and limbs, which periodically disappear and reappear.
When diagnosing the disease, an x-ray is performed, on which a violation of the ossification of the hip and knee joints immediately becomes noticeable. In addition, the spine has an irregular shape, and vertebral subluxation may occur.
Hip dysplasia in newborns is manifested by the following symptoms:
Dysplasia in a newborn
At the first stage of the disease, it is not always possible to identify the symptoms of dysplasia with the naked eye; only an orthopedic traumatologist can determine whether there is a problem. Therefore, young parents need to regularly visit a pediatrician and orthopedist in the first year of the child’s life. If the problem is detected at an early stage, it will be cured much faster.
In most cases, a simple examination by an orthopedic surgeon, who will immediately see the pathology, is sufficient to make a diagnosis. It is necessary to visit a doctor in the first 3 months of the child’s life to confirm or rule out the presence of pathology. Also, at his discretion, the doctor may prescribe one or more studies:
Also, when diagnosing, the doctor needs to pay attention to a number of diseases in which the symptoms are similar to dysplasia. These include the following diseases:
When diagnosing dysplasia, the doctor measures the acetabular angle (index) using an x-ray or ultrasound result; it is the angle of inclination of the apex of the acetabulum. After completing the examination and measuring the angles, the doctor can compare the results with the generally accepted norm and make a diagnosis.
It is worth noting that the size of the acetabular angle can vary significantly depending on the age of the child. Let's consider what measurement results can mean at different ages.
At 3 months, the norm is an angle of 25-30 degrees, at 6 months – 20-25, and in children over 2 years old, the acetabular angle varies from 18 to 23 degrees. Sometimes a deviation from the norm of 1-2 degrees can indicate the individual characteristics of the child’s body, but only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.
Subluxation of the hip joint at 3 months is characterized by an angle of 30 to 35 degrees, at 6 months from 25 to 30, and at the age of 2 years 23-28 degrees. With a dislocation at 3 months, the angle is 35-40 degrees, at 6 months – 30-35, at 2 years 28-33. Thus, the more the acetabular angle deviates from the norm, the more severe the pathology.
After examination by a doctor and passing the necessary tests, the specialist makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment. Usually the disease is treated with conservative methods; surgery is performed in rare cases when all conservative treatment methods are ineffective.
Dysplasia in newborns is treated in the following ways:
If the use of special devices does not bring the desired result, then the child is prescribed a surgical operation under general anesthesia, during which the joint is manually adjusted. The endoscopic method is also used to treat dysplasia in newborns. If the doctor does not detect dysplasia, but there is a violation of the development of the joint, the disease can be cured without spacers, using auxiliary methods.
The following procedures are indicated during treatment and during rehabilitation:
Physiotherapy helps relieve inflammation in tissues, reduce pain and speed up the restoration of cartilage tissue. Physiotherapy is prescribed by a physiotherapist together with an orthopedist, depending on the severity of the disease.
After completing the main treatment, it is recommended to continue daily therapeutic exercises as a preventive measure and for general strengthening of the body. It is also recommended to conduct a course of general strengthening massage once every 6 months.
Children who have suffered from dysplasia are prohibited from using walkers and other devices that may impair gait. Also, children are prohibited from walking early; after dysplasia, you cannot teach a child to walk by his hands; you must wait until he gets up and walks on his own.
According to statistics, more than 90% of children are completely cured of dysplasia if treatment begins before the age of 3 months. In this case, the entire process takes no more than 2 months. If the disease is detected after six months, only 30% of babies get rid of it without consequences. If the disease is discovered only after a year, it takes decades to treat it, and it is not always possible to successfully get rid of dysplasia without consequences for the person.
If hip dysplasia in newborns is not cured, then in adulthood the person will suffer from pathological pain, lameness, and over time, disorders in the spine, pinched nerves and poor circulation of the limb may appear. In this case, the patient will eventually become disabled.
Hip dysplasia in adults can only occur if the disease was not treated in childhood. Then the patient experiences the following symptoms:
Untreated hip dysplasia usually develops into coxarthrosis, which is characterized by the occurrence of an inflammatory process in the joints and their destruction. Medicines, physical therapy, exercise therapy and lifestyle changes can help alleviate the condition in the early stages, but in order to completely cure the disease, it is necessary to undergo surgery to completely replace the affected hip joint.
Such an operation is expensive and traumatic, rehabilitation after it lasts many months, it is painful and tiring, the patient spends the first few months in bed, after which he walks on crutches for a long time. Then it is necessary to develop the diseased limb and joint for a long time.
Prevention of dysplasia consists in excluding pregnancy pathologies. During the planning period, it is necessary to undergo all necessary examinations, treat infectious diseases, stop smoking and drinking, and also take vitamins.
After pregnancy, it is necessary to be regularly examined at the antenatal clinic, and, if necessary, go to the hospital and receive the necessary treatment.
The expectant mother should monitor her diet and lifestyle; food should be healthy and balanced; if necessary, after consulting a doctor, she should take vitamins for pregnant women. It is imperative to get enough sleep, switch to light work at work, but at the same time not lead a passive lifestyle, but do gymnastics for pregnant women.
Exercise therapy for pregnant women will help childbirth go easier and reduce the risk of birth trauma; in addition, during gymnastics, the child can change the incorrect presentation and the hip joint will develop normally.
To exclude the occurrence of complications with dysplasia, it is necessary to undergo medical examinations in the first months of life, this will help to identify pathology in the early stages and treat quickly and without complications.
Damage to the hip joint in newborns is a serious disease caused by impaired intrauterine development of the fetus. This includes dislocations, preluxations and subluxations of the hip joint. These disorders are included in the category of pathological conditions under the general name of dysplasia. Hip dysplasia in newborns can be congenital (in most cases) or acquired.
If a dislocation of any degree is not noticed in time and immediate treatment is not started, then the child may subsequently experience serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the leg will shorten, and even develop a false joint at the site of displacement of the femoral head. It will be difficult for the child to walk, and every movement will be accompanied by pain.
The child’s musculoskeletal system begins to develop as early as 5-6 weeks of pregnancy and completes its formation around the third year of life. In a baby during prenatal development and in the first year of life, the joints are very mobile and their ligaments are very elastic. Therefore, any deviation from normal physiological development can cause dislocation of the hip joint.
The main causes of hip dysplasia:
Relentless statistics claim that among peoples where traditional tight swaddling of infants is not accepted, hip dislocations in newborns are extremely rare.
Immediately after the birth of the child, a neonatologist examines the child in the maternity hospital for the purpose of early diagnosis of possible congenital diseases, including dislocation of the hip joint. This is especially true if the mother had complicating factors during pregnancy.
The most obvious sign of dysplasia is the asymmetry of the baby’s skin folds in the groin area or on the buttocks: on the affected limb there may be more folds and they are located higher. However, such asymmetry can also occur in absolutely healthy children, so this method is not diagnostic, but only allows one to suspect the disease. On the other hand, in the presence of bilateral dislocation or subluxation, the folds will be located absolutely symmetrically.
The next method, which gives more reliable results, is to spread the child’s bent legs apart. If there is a dislocation or subluxation in one or both hip joints, then the legs will not be able to move far apart. If the baby’s joints do not have pathologies, then his legs can be spread apart without any problems almost until they come into contact with the surface on which he is lying.
One of the most reliable methods for determining congenital dysplasia in newborns is click syndrome. With this method, the doctor bends and straightens the child’s legs at a certain angle, and at the same time a characteristic click of the joint is heard when the femur is reduced into the acetabulum. This method is considered the most effective for the early diagnosis of hip dislocation in infants.
If a young patient is suspected of having a dislocated or subluxated hip joint, the attending physician may prescribe an ultrasound examination. Parents should not refuse such a study, since it helps to accurately establish or refute the diagnosis of dysplasia and is completely harmless and painless for the child.
It probably won’t be superfluous to repeat once again that treatment of hip dysplasia in newborns should begin as early as possible - only then can positive results be expected. Advanced forms of dislocations are difficult to treat; in any case, it can last indefinitely. If dysplasia is detected in a child in the first months of life, then, depending on the degree of dislocation, he will be prescribed conservative treatment. For small displacements of the femoral head, a chiropractor can successfully reset the joint in place over several sessions, after which the joint must be immobilized to fix it in the correct physiological position. To strengthen the ligamentous apparatus and periarticular capsule, the baby is prescribed a course of vitamins, therapeutic exercises and massage in combination with physiotherapy. Magnetic therapy and electrophoresis with phosphorus and calcium help improve blood circulation in the affected joint.
If dysplasia has severe forms, then Pavlik stirrups and Freik’s pillow (splint) are used for its treatment. These special orthopedic devices help keep the baby's hip joints in the correct physiological position - the baby's legs are spread in different directions in this position. This immobilization usually lasts from 6 to 12 months, depending on the condition of the child's hip joints. Usually during this period the joint takes its correct shape, its capsule and ligamentous apparatus are strengthened.
To some parents, this treatment method seems inhumane to newborns, but this is not so. Babies quickly cease to feel discomfort in new conditions, especially since the normal posture of a newborn baby, provided by nature, is lying on the back with legs spread to the side and bent at the knees (frog pose). And of course, parents should under no circumstances remove orthopedic devices from their child’s feet, even for a short period of time, since such “pity” can lead in the future to damage to a poorly formed joint, pain when walking and lameness. And in adulthood, such a child will be predisposed to arthrosis, which can even lead to disability.
To prevent dislocations of the hip joint in infants, wide swaddling should be used - pass a diaper folded at an angle between the baby’s legs, with its ends, with light pressure, fix the baby’s legs in a position spread to the sides (frog pose). The child should spend 2-3 hours a day in this position. The best time to do this is during sleep. The rest of the time, he should be swaddled freely to be able to move his arms and legs, which in itself is an excellent joint strengthener.
Some impatient parents try to teach their child to walk early; to do this, they put him on his feet and force him to take steps. But such attempts can also lead to dislocation of still immature hip joints. Therefore, it is not worth accelerating the child’s walking until he himself begins to take his first steps.
Nowadays, the number of children with congenital diseases is gradually increasing. Defective insufficient development of the hip joints is considered the leading congenital pathology in many regions of the country. Hip dysplasia in children is a common disease, what is it?
Hip dysplasia in newborns is its immaturity with impaired development of all the links that form the hip joint: bones and cartilage that form the base, and soft tissues (ligaments, capsules, muscles) around.
Unfortunately, despite the examination of infants up to six months of age, it is not always possible to identify an early disease. But early initiation of treatment is the key to its effectiveness and success.
One phrase “hip dysplasia” is used to describe violations of the correct interaction between the components of the joint in children.
The following factors are considered to be the reasons for the formation of dysplasia in children.
Factors that increase the risk of dysplasia formation.
Hip dysplasia according to ICD 10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) has three stages.
Congenital dislocation is the most recent degree of dysplasia. A child is born with a dislocation, or it can develop in a one-year-old baby with delayed diagnosis and treatment.
The diagnosis is made during an examination when signs of dysplasia are seen. A doctor who examines him in the maternity ward should suspect dysplasia in a baby in time, so that he can then be referred for examination to an orthopedist. The orthopedist prescribes treatment for all children, sick and with suspected disease, until an accurate diagnosis is established.
If dysplasia is suspected, the child, in addition to examination, is prescribed instrumental studies, based on the results of which a diagnosis is made. The introduction of new diagnostic methods has increased the chances of an accurate and timely diagnosis. The condition of the joints is determined using ultrasound, radiography and computed tomography.
When making a diagnosis of “hip dislocation” in children, certain difficulties arise, because in newborns pre-dislocation, the initial stage of the process, is more often observed.
To properly examine the child, you need a warm room. Before the examination, it is better to feed him. Under such conditions, it is easier to identify the symptoms of dysplasia.
The main symptoms of hip dysplasia:
The most important symptom of preluxation is the symptom of slipping. It is explained by a fairly easy reduction and reverse dislocation of the femoral head from the joint cavity due to the stretched capsule and ligaments of the joint. The symptom of slippage cannot be heard during examination; it is felt with the hands as if the head of the bone is moving.
To identify it, the baby’s legs must be bent at the knee and hip joints, forming a right angle. At this moment, the doctor’s thumbs rest on the inner side, and the remaining fingers on the outer side of the thigh. Slowly begin to spread your hips to the sides. At this time, the femoral head slides into the acetabulum, and a push is felt.
As changes in the joint increase, other symptoms appear.
Limitation of abduction is mainly observed with increased tone of the muscles responsible for hip adduction. It manifests itself during neurological diseases, so when abduction is limited, an examination by a neurologist is necessary. When determining the abduction in the hip joints, the baby is placed on the back with the legs bent at the hip and knee joints.
To do everything correctly and identify this symptom, you need to achieve relaxation of the newborn’s legs, so it is better to examine the sleeping child or wait until the baby gets used to the doctor’s hands and completely relax.
Healthy joints allow you to spread your legs so that they touch the surface of the table with the outer sides of your thighs. The child grows, and the symptom loses its significance; it is detected inconsistently.
Leg shortening in children is difficult to reliably determine. Shortening is determined by the kneecaps. For a baby lying on his back, the legs are bent at the hip joints and maximally at the knee joints, placing the feet side by side on the table. In this position, it is clear that the kneecap on the side of the dislocation is lower.
Also, when examining a child, the symmetry of the folds of the skin of the thigh is taken into account.
On the side of the dislocation, the inguinal and gluteal-femoral folds are deeper, and their asymmetry is visible.
In newly born babies, the symptoms of congenital dislocation are mild and are not always detected. Therefore, relying only on the clinic, it is quite difficult to make a diagnosis. Doubting, the doctor sends the child for an ultrasound to clarify.
Hip dysplasia in children under one year of age can be treated with or without surgery, using abduction devices.
Dysplasia should be treated immediately from birth, from the moment symptoms indicating it were identified. The first week is decisive: a healthy joint will form, or a dislocation will occur.
Early treatment of dysplasia is an abduction in the joints in which activity and mobility in the joints are preserved. Wide swaddling for hip dysplasia is practiced already in the maternity ward before examination by an orthopedist for the purpose of prevention. It is not a treatment for dysplasia, but the earlier prevention is started, the better the prognosis.
To give the legs a position of flexion and abduction, various abductor devices (splints, panties, bandages) are used. The best option for a spacer for hip dysplasia is considered to be Pavlik stirrups. The duration of the course depends on the condition of the joints and lasts from 3 to 6 months.
Experienced orthopedists prefer gentle, non-anesthesia reduction of the femoral head by traction of the leg and fixing it with a plaster cast. This is the best and most effective method.
The legs are kept fixed for 4-6 months. When the plaster cast is removed, a splint is placed on the baby’s legs. The width of the spacer splint for dysplasia is changed as treatment progresses, gradually decreasing.
The splint is removed when the joint is completely restored. While children are growing, they are under the supervision of an orthopedist and periodically undergo rehabilitation treatment
Exercise therapy is the main method of forming a healthy joint and the only method that supports the development of motor skills.
Physical exercises for dysplasia are usually divided into general developmental and special. The first ones are used from birth, and when the child grows up, his psychomotor skills are taken into account. Special exercises increase metabolism and blood supply to joints and muscles. For children under one year old, passive exercises are performed, and from one to three years old, active exercises are performed.
Initially, the exercises are aimed at eliminating the limitation of mobility in the joint. For example, they lay the baby on his tummy in a frog position or perform circular movements with his legs bent at the knees. During this period, the child is in stirrups.
Further, when the dislocation is reduced, exercises are carried out daily, adding active and mobile ones. For example, if you tickle the soles, the baby actively moves his legs. At this time, physiotherapy is added to the treatment. Electrophoresis for hip dysplasia in children is performed using solutions of calcium and phosphorus. There are at least 10 sessions.
After removing the fixators, they strengthen the leg muscles using massage and gymnastics, not forgetting about swimming.
Hydrokinesitherapy is the most effective rehabilitation method for children. Carrying out exercises in water has a positive effect on treatment and gives a positive attitude.
Today, hip dysplasia has become much more common. Dysplasia must be treated from birth using complex techniques. By following the rules of treatment, you can further achieve successful results, avoid disability and the consequences of hip dysplasia in children.
Dysplasia of the femoral joints occurs in every seven thousandth newborn child, which cannot but frighten. This is a very sad statistic that tends to increase. At the same time, little girls and adult women suffer from the pathology to a greater extent than males.
In most cases, unilateral hip dysplasia occurs rather than bilateral dysplasia, but this does not reduce the risk of developing serious complications.
Treatment of the disease is possible, but before it is carried out, the doctor must understand the cause of its occurrence. Its precise determination helps to achieve maximum results from therapy.
Patients often confuse concepts such as hip dysplasia and congenital hip dislocation. In principle, these are the same thing, but these deviations are different degrees of severity of the same disease.
DTBS has its own classification, according to which the disease is divided into the following types:
A note about the type of congenital hip dislocation in the patient’s card can be made using the above terms, or the doctor can indicate another description of the disease:
All these stages are equally dangerous for the patient’s health, so even the mildest form of pathology should not be underestimated.
The causes of hip dysplasia do not always lie in physical activity or injury. Factors such as:
Due to the influence of such factors, children are born with varying degrees of severity of pathology. That is, it can be a subluxation, or a full-fledged congenital dislocation of the hip.
The hip joints are located quite deep, in addition, they are covered with a tissue surface and muscles, which greatly complicates the process of studying them. For this reason, the development of hip dysplasia is diagnosed, as a rule, by indirect signs.
Pathology can be recognized by the following symptoms:
There are other symptoms that indicate the development of hip dysplasia in a child. However, the most common sign is the so-called “duck” gait.
Often there is lameness when walking, as well as clicks that are heard at the moment when the baby bends his legs at the knees.
If you have identified at least one of the above-described anomalies, you must immediately show your child to a doctor. Congenital hip dysplasia is a reversible process that can be treated with timely medical intervention. In its absence, quite serious complications can arise.
Often, congenital dislocation of the hip joint is accompanied by serious concomitant disorders that interfere with the child’s full functioning and activity.
These deviations are:
Parents can notice the first warning signs of hip dysplasia even in a newborn. Further, as the child grows, they will begin to increase, and other symptoms will join them.
Determining the reasons why hip dysplasia developed and prescribing treatment for the patient is carried out by an orthopedic doctor.
The presence of hip dysplasia in a child is determined by the results of the following instrumental diagnostic procedures:
Based on these studies, the severity of the disease is determined, which has a direct impact on the choice of therapeutic technique.
How to treat hip dysplasia? As already noted, the treatment method is selected depending on the stage of development of the disease.
So, type 2a is treated much easier and faster, and if you start therapy at this stage, it will help prevent the progression of the disease.
In order for a disease of the hip joints, such as congenital dysplasia, to pass without consequences for health, its treatment must be started immediately after confirmation of the diagnosis.
At an early stage of pathology development, conservative methods of therapy are used. To do this, they resort to using a special splint, which is selected for each child individually.
With the help of such a device, the baby’s legs are held in an abducted state. Thus, the hip and knee joints are in a flexed position.
It is most advisable to carry out such treatment of mild hip dysplasia in the first weeks of a baby’s life. This way it will be possible to achieve the highest possible results from therapy.
Residual effects of hip dysplasia can be prevented through surgery.
The best results can be obtained if the procedure is performed before the child reaches the age of five. Surgical techniques of varying degrees of severity can be used, starting with muscle dissection (myotomy) and ending with plastic surgery of the damaged joint.
Additional therapeutic procedures for hip dysplasia are:
This approach to the treatment of THD helps prevent its progression, and gives the child hope to fully develop physically.
The prognosis for treatment of hip dysplasia is favorable if it is started in a timely manner. The age of the patient also plays an important role in this matter. Thus, children tolerate surgery much easier, since their joints and bones are still very soft and elastic.
If treatment is not treated in a timely manner, the patient may experience quite serious complications before the age of 25.
Many people are interested in the question: can hip dysplasia go away on its own? Alas, this is impossible without medical intervention, since this is a congenital defect that has its own reasons. Consequently, there are certain conditions for eliminating the symptoms of the disease.
Why is hip dysplasia dangerous? If the disease is not treated promptly, it will continue to progress, which will significantly complicate its treatment. However, there are more dangerous consequences of hip dysplasia.
One of these is the development of early dysplastic coxarthrosis. The disease causes severe pain, the person cannot move normally, which over time leads to disability.
If a child has been limping for a long time, pain in the joints and limitations in movement may occur as early as three or five years of age. Parents can notice such deviations immediately after the baby learns to walk. The main thing is not to miss the moment and promptly seek qualified medical help.
To prevent the development of pathology in a child, first of all, it is necessary to take care of the health of the expectant mother. To do this you should:
If, after the birth of a baby, suspicious symptoms of THD are discovered, there is no need to hope for the problem to self-liquidate.
Doctors unanimously say that timely diagnosis is one of the main methods of preventing, if not the development, then the progression of such a dangerous pathology as hip dysplasia.