She looked like a perfect baby, but she had a hip problem. And that’s more common than you think.
She was a beautiful, smiling baby. The most smiling that I know. Tiny, with brown, spiky hair, she achieved all development milestones for her age. And yet, something was wrong.
As parents, we tend to be blind when it comes to our children. If you have kids, you probably know that. Or, perhaps, everybody around you knows, except you. It’s hard to avoid this tendency to look to our little ones as perfects.
Maybe this is why I skipped that chapter in the book that contains what I should learn before she starts to walk.
When Marina came into our lives, we almost immediately started to read a book that in English would be called “Babies Life”. A guide with everything you want to know about the development of your child.
By the way, I highly recommend books like that, especially if you are brand new parents. Just do not skip any page, you can lose something that matters. I was thinking of it when the doctor said “congenital hip dislocation”.
Perhaps you heard about it as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), which is a more recent term to explain that your baby’s hip joint isn’t normal. Most probably you haven’t heard about it at all, except if you are a doctor. But, believe me, it is more common than you think.
But every child limp at the beginning
I used to say that when people commented about her way of walking. After all, she was starting and did not have balance enough. With time, and practice, she would make it like everyone. For me, my daughter was normal. I almost didn’t notice that she was limping.
Marina started walking at one year and four months, her brown hair was becoming blond and curly, and she was full of curiosity. Two months later, a friend asked me about her hip — something is wrong, you should see a doctor, she said. Not very long after that, another friend told me the same and recommended me a professional.
This friend had a daughter with a hip problem, which made me finally schedule an appointment. I never thought it was so ordinary.
I took Marina to the doctor to make others sure she was healthy. In my mind, nothing was happening. I was wrong, and she would go past some bad moments in the coming months.
Why you should know DDH — especially if you have a daughter
In someone with DDH, the top of the femur does not fit well into the hip socket. It can have since a short dislocation, causing a subluxation, until a high dislocation, when the top of the femur is totally out of the hip socket.
If it’s not treated, DDH can lead to osteoarthritis and other hip deformities. It’s important to know that, as soon as you correct that, the better. Until two years old, the treatment has more chances to be successful and avoid other hip problems in the future.
Why should you be concerned if you have a daughter? Because 8 in 10 cases are female. Girls usually have more ligament laxity than boys, which makes them more susceptible. While the exact cause is not known — hip dysplasia can develop at the time of birth, after birth, or during childhood — there are other risk factors:
- Firstborns can develop DDH because the uterus is small (6 in 10 cases occur in firstborn children);
- Babies in the breech position in the uterus;
- Family history (if a parent has DDH, it is twelve times more likely that the child will have it).
The unpleasant treatment
She has a problem with her hip and will need surgery, the doctor told me. While my little daughter was running into his office, looking at that new place as it was full of magic. And the recovery will not be easy, he continued.
Without letting me breathe, he kept telling me all the things she would pass: the body cast (until three months, in her case), the braces (more three months), and so on. At that time, I couldn’t even imagine my daughter — that one who was always running — being so long without moving.
That day, I cried. And some days after that too, a lot. She was so young, so happy, what if something went wrong?
Fortunately, nothing went wrong: she used the body cast (from her hip until her feet) for one and a half month, then used braces along her legs for three months (at the end, just for sleep), made some sessions of physiotherapy and, now, the only medical prescription is to play a lot.
She adapted easily and we feel even more blessed to have her as our daughter.
Besides surgery, there are other treatments for DDH, depending on the age of the child and the kind of damage, like:
- Pavlik Harness: used in babies from birth to six months;
- Hip Abduction Braces;
- Traction.
Only the doctor can tell which one is better, but it is important to know that the sooner you start, the better.
Warning signs: how do you know if your child has dysplasia of the hip
Identify DDH isn’t always easy. Marina was limping a little bit and, when she was standing, her left leg remained stretched, while the other was slightly bent. Again: we didn’t notice it easily, especially the stretched leg (that was precisely the hip side with a problem). Other symptoms may include:
- A leg that may turn outward;
- The space between the legs appearing wider than normal;
- The folds in the skin of the thigh or buttocks may appear uneven.
How to avoid being blind when it concerns your kids
At this point, I would like to tell you that I discovered a formula to cure my blindness regarding my daughter. However, it’s not true. Of course, I try to pay more attention, but how to separate what is normal from real diseases?
Sometimes, they need more time to learn new abilities. After all, they are unique, like you and me, and differences are the tonic between human beings.
If you wanna know more about DDH, take a look at these websites (the last one is in Portuguese):
http://www.blog.saude.gov.br/promocao-da-saude/29950-teste-do-quadril-para-bebes.html
