Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is a malformation of the hip joint and ranges from mild hip instability to long- standing hip dislocation. If both hip joints are affected the condition is referred to as bilateral dysplasia. If only one hip is affect it is referred to as unilateral dysplasia and in the majority of cases it is the left hip that has the dysplasia.
For the hip joint to work properly, both the femoral head, (the ball), and the acetabulum, (the socket), must be in the proper orientation to each other. As a child, the outer edge of the socket is very soft growing bone. If the femoral head is unstable and able to move within the socket, it can push on the outer edge of the socket and bend it up causing the socket to become more, shallow. A more, shallow socket creates instability allowing the ball to dislocate from the socket leading to hip dysplasia if left untreated over time.
Hip dysplasia is more commonly diagnosed in girls than boys, in left hips then right, in first born, and in families where children were previously born with hip dysplasia. Even mild dysplasia has shown to be a major predisposing factor to the development of degenerative arthritis in adults so the goal in treating hip dysplasia is to ensure the hip develops normally early on.
Treatment Options for Dysplasia
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Cortisone injections
- Physical therapy
- Surgery
