12 Nov If you knew that early detection of your baby’s shallow hips followed by 6 weeks harnessing can make a lifetime of difference for your child, what would you do 

Hip dysplasia ( shallow hip joints) in adults is the cause of 5-44% of all hip arthritis. Doctors are just becoming aware that infant screening detects only 10% of dysplasia that causes arthritis in adults. Hip instability in babies can usually be detected, but one possibility is that some babies have shallow sockets that fail to develop completely or become unstable at an older age. These would not be detected by current methods. There is increasing interest in identifying and treating babies that have shallow sockets that are currently considered borderline normal. Infant hips that are in the lowest 1% of hip development by measurement are usually treated, but perhaps that needs to be reconsidered so that babies in the lowest 5% by measurement are treated. This would require research to prove that early treatment might help prevent adult arthritis. The International Hip Dysplasia Institute is on the leading edge of these concerns and is directing some of its research efforts towards discovering new methods of prevention that may be possible.

In the mean time, at My Favourite Physio our Paediatric Physiotherapist has been using a 3 Steps Better Hips Approach to ensure that babies with shallow clicks hips are not missed.

3 Steps Better Hips Approach: 
1. We assess all babies presenting to our clinic for mis-shapened heads and feet problems for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips.
2. We recommend Hip Ultrasounds for all babies who do not have full hip range of movement.
3. We recommend Pavlik Harness for 6 weeks for all babies with abnormal hip Ultrasound results that indicate a shallow hip.

As a result of our 3 Steps Better Hip Approach, we have successfully detected and treated shallow hips in many babies, giving them a lifetime of better hip health!

If you have just had a newborn baby, and you are concerned about their hips, contact My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 to speak to our Paediatric Physiotherapist today.