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Do You Know What Hip Dysplasia Is? Essay

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Do you know someone who has or had hip dysplasia? Let alone, do you know what hip dysplasia is? Developmental dysplasia of the hip, which is abbreviated as DDH, is an abnormal correlation between the femoral head and the acetabulum (Hart, Albright, Gleeson, & Grottkau, 2006). The problem can either be at the ball or socket of the hip joint, or in worse cases, both. This condition can be either hereditary or acquired after birth. The condition could get worse after being active, such as the early stages of walking. Handfuls of cases have been related to the tradition infant swaddling techniques and overly strained car seats. If the problem occurs in one or both hips, this can cause uneven leg length, less ability to move around, limping, …show more content…

Pain usually isn’t present in the infants, but as they are young adults and the problem isn’t fixed, they may experience pain, for it is the most common symptom in the young adults. Lastly of common symptoms, a swayback is often noticed after the child starts walking. An exaggerated walk will appear and/or the legs will appear different in length. Some people call this swayback because of the way the child stands or walk.
How is this diagnosis treated? Other than surgically fixing the child’s hips, there are multiple ways to help the hips grow in more naturally. In a journal article, MD Lynn Stahell says that if the infant is diagnosed early in their life, it can easily be managed effectively with the Pavlik harness in 90% of instances. This harness is sued to keep the knees and legs bent with the legs spread apart. The straps go over the infant’s shoulders and across the chest. The harness should be used for about 6-12 weeks without taking it off, with the exception of the doctor allowing it to be removed for bathing, and to change diapers of course. When the hips become stable enough, the doctor will allow the parents to only use the harness on the infant part time for about 4-6 weeks. Even though the chances for hip dysplasia to reoccur is very slim, it’s recommended to the parents to have their children x-rayed every once in a while just in case it may come back. Another way to treat this problem is with a hip abduction brace for

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