One "Hip" Momma

October 9, 2008

What a difference a day (or week in our case) makes. Jackjack is continuing to improve daily. He now has movement in his left knee & complete movement in his right leg !! He loves grabbing the toes on his right leg & giggles as though he's just touched the moon :)

All of his "raw spots" are healing nicely & he's actually starting to like the bath again. He has been running a fever off & on since Saturday & has lovingly re-shared his lunch & milk on both Benny & I. Everyone else is feeling fine so I'm starting to think it's his sweet body's reaction to the pain & change during the past week.

We met with Dr. Jaughin on Monday for our follow-up & his hips look great!! Both are still in position & you can now start to see new bone on the xray .... AMAZING! Jackjack will need to wear his brace full time for the next 6 weeks, we'll go in for another xray & decide what to do next :) We are so, so excited !

"GROW, BONE, GROW"

1 comment:

Blessed Mom of Four AND More said...: Inch by inch, we love to see progress!
Blessings,
Robbie; October 21, 2008 at 1:22 PM

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what is developmental hip dysplasia ?

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) or congenital hip dysplasia (CDH) describes a variety of conditions in which the hip doesn't develop properly.

The hip is a "ball and socket" joint. Normally the top of the thigh bone (femur) has a round ball shape (femoral head) which fits into a cup-like socket on the pelvis (acetabulum). There are a range of developmental and congenital hip conditions that can affect babies and children.

In the mildest forms, the socket may fail to grow deep enough. In the more sever forms, the femoral head may be displaced completely out of the socket and be dislocated.

Following are terms you will become familiar with if your sweet child is diagnosed with DDH:

Subluxation - There is incomplete contact between the ball (femoral head) and cup (acetabulum) of the hip.

Dislocation - There is absolutely no contact betweeb the femoral head and acetabulum.

Instability - The hip is in the correct spot but can be moved in or out of the socket with gentle manipulation.

Teratologic Dislocation - This is an antenatal dislocation of the hip.

Hopefully, DDH will be diagnosed right after birth. Your Doctor will perform a hip check on your new baby to listen for a "click" or "clunk" as he/she moves the hip into different positions. One hip should be examined at a time, gently, with your baby relaxed. The examiner should have his/her thumb on your baby's inner thigh and the index finger around baby's hip to the back. The trick is to move the knee out to "froggy" position.

In our case, just a "twirling" of both knees was done and DDH was missed for an entire year ... by 8 different Doctors and Nurses!

When a child reaches 3 to 6 months, if the hip is dislocated it will be in a fixed position. With your little one on his/her back, lift both knees together and place those sweet feet flat on the floor. If one knee is higher/lower than the other please ask for further diagnosis.

Other signs that DDH may be present and undiagnosed are:

- uneven thigh rolls or wrinkles

- inability to "straddle sit" your hip

- fighting hip checks during well baby visits

- a slouch with sitting

- a dragging leg or a limp while walking

Depending on when DDH is diagnosed and the severity of your child's DDH determines what treatment will be used.

Please, trust your instincts, and ask for your child to be checked if you suspect DDH.