Congenital Hip Dislocations in India
Congenital hip dislocation (CHD) occurs when a child is born with an unstable hip. It’s caused by abnormal formation of the hip joint during their early stages of fetal development. It is also called developmental dysplasia of the hip.
CHD is treated with a Pavlik harness. This harness presses their hip joints into the sockets. The harness abducts the hip by securing their legs in a froglike position.
The right doctor to consult for congenital hip dislocations is a Pediatric Orthopedic and Joint Replacement Surgeon.
For CHD, two tests are performed, firstly the Ortolani test, in which the child’s doctor will apply upward force while they move the child’s hip away from the body. The movement away from the body is called abduction. Secondly, during the Barlow test, the child’s doctor will apply a downward force while they move the child’s hip across the body. The movement toward the body is called adduction.