Hip Dysplasia

        

At Shriners before the Brace

       I took Heston in last week for his second Hip Dysplasia appointment at Shriners to let me know if he will need the brace or not. I was really hoping that he would be just fine without it. I just loved the time I have had to cuddle him without the Velcro in the way. Unfortunately, we didn't get so lucky. Our wonderful Doctor informed us that although the angle of his hips are where they should be his hip bone is not seated into the socket well enough. The odds of having two with Hip Dysplasia is pretty rare and boys are less likely to get it as well. But we beat the odds ha ha no it's ok I would rather take care of it now then when they are older. The cast they wear later is horrible it is a hard cast from their legs to their torso with a bar that keeps their legs apart so they can't walk. I cannot even imagine trying to do one of those right now on my highly active Hallie.
    As of right now he wears a brace 24/7 and we will go back on April 22 to see if he has progressed enough that he can just wear the brace at night. We are lucky though his Hip Dysplasia is not as bad as Hallie's and he will not wear the brace as long as she did, which was about 6 months.
   Just a little about Hip Dyplasia I really think it is something all parents should know about especially those who have a baby born breach. As both of mine were. It is also hereditary and is linked to Torticollis. My older sister had Torticollis and a more simple definition then later stated is when a muscle on one side of your neck grows shorter then the other and you are unable to turn your neck fully. They should always check your baby for this when they are checking the hips. Not all doctors check for Hip Dysplasia either. We had to ask our pediatrician to check him and the doctor found a little "pop" they call it on both sides of his hips. If you have any other questions or anything I would love to answer them. It is definitely something that is better caught sooner then later.

Hallie in her Brace

 Torticollis- is a dystonic condition defined by an abnormal, asymmetrical head or neck position, which may be due to a variety of causes.
Hip Dysplasia- is a congenital or acquired deformation or misalignment of the hip joint.