What is DDH?

DDH is an acronym for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. There are several ranges of severity of it. For example, in milder cases the thighbone (known as a femur) is allowed to move slightly within the socket due to ligaments and soft tissue not forming a firm hold onto it. The more extreme case, such as an example with our daughter, will allow the femur to move out of the socket all together. Children who are born with DDH may not even have a hip socket and the femur bone may try to form one for it self higher up on the hip bone. This requires surgery to correct to get the femur back in its proper position. A spica cast is normally used to hold it in the proper position.

Symptoms for a baby are:

  • A loose feeling within the hip as the leg is moved.

  • One leg appearing shorter than the other

  • Extra folds of skin on one side of the inner groin area (This can happen with both if both are affected).

  • One hip moves differently from the other.

    • If you feel that your child has any of these symptoms, you should contact your pediatrician as soon as possible. The earlier this is caught, the easier it is to correct.

    Posted in Information | May 15th, 2008

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