Spica Casts

Another Sign of DDH in an Older Child

I have been trying to read up on this topic for other parents and came across several other parents who stated that they had a child who was older than Natalie (my daughter with DDH). One thing that I noticed was that all stated they had children who had difficulty walking. In fact, several made comments that they were commonly “drifters”.

Drifting can mean that they walk to the side more times than not, or perhaps all the time. They typically use furniture or other stable things to pull themselves to a standing position. After this, they will walk alongside of it, but rarely let go and walk for themselves. Many were doing this for quite sometime, up to close to a year for some prior to discovering why they were not actually walking normally yet.

If your child is a constant drifter or side stepper, you should consider taking them to a pediatrician to take a good look at their hips. Also, do not be afraid to get second opinions. Although delayed walking is not an uncommon thing, it is important to catch hip dysplasia at the earliest stage possible.