Harness to Prevent Hip Dysplasia

Hi H.,

First off, I wanted to say I'm truly sorry you're going through this, as I know it's very heartbreaking to suddenly have your daughter be more restricted. But she will adapt and continue to thrive and grow, and equally important her hip dysplasia will eventually resolve. If you haven't already, you should check out the Yahoo Groups called Hipbaby - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hipbaby/. You will find a very supportive and informative community there. Parents there have babies and children in all ranges of hip dysplasia.

I understand your frustration re: it not being caught earlier. This may have been an oversight when she was 4 weeks, or it may be something that developed...I think that's why they now call it Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). Also sometimes the ultrasound doesn't always catch it. I suppose if your current orthopedist reviewed the original ultrasound perhaps he could say for sure. But I know it all doesn't really matter now as you're where you're at right now.

My baby girl was a big baby and was breech before I had an external version at 36 weeks. She was diagnosed shortly after birth. When they do hip checks in the hospital, her right hip could be dislocated and both clicked. She was put into a Pavlik Harness at 6 days old. It was devastating for us. I could no longer hold or touch my new baby in the same way. And she was restricted in movement, let alone having to deal with getting the harness on/off and changing diapers with it on - additional stress to first time parents. We had many stressful moments. She wore that 24/7 for 1 week, 23/7 for 5 weeks, then 12 hours a day for 6 weeks. We thought that would be the end but the orthopedist wanted to continue to stabilize her hip...so she had a Rhino Cruiser for 8 weeks. That was totally a blow to us as we didn't know that might happen. While the brace was more bulky, it was easier to put on/take off and deal with diapers. Anyhow, she was about 4 1/2 months when the treatment ended. She is now 17 months and doing great - walking and starting to run around.

While it's good the doctor did discover this now at 7 months so you can treat with a brace, while her bones aren't as developed...I won't say you're lucky. I'm only mentioning that as I resented it when people would say..."oh you're lucky it's treatable and not too serious." I mean there was part of me feeling grateful she didn't have a more serious case or some other more difficult condition, but I felt like people didn't acknowledge this changed how we did things. And that they didn't have to deal with it with their baby. I think it's okay to feel sad, angry, etc. But also feel hopeful and delight in your baby. I know it's hard to ignore the brace and you'll be mad at it many times (at least I was at the harness and brace).

My experience is not exactly the same as yours, since we did start early. I think no matter what/when, it is very difficult for us moms to deal with something of this nature. You will have emotional ups and downs. While your daughter is using the brace at an older age than my girl, she is still young enough that she will not remember this time. She will amaze you with her resiliency and adaptability. She will find ways to do what other kids are doing. And the time will probably go by faster than you realize. At least I really hope that is the case for you. For me, that time seems so distant and somewhat otherworldly. I felt like that even just a couple months after we were done - that time flew by.

My heart goes out to you.

Take good care,
K.

P.S. Please note that while the Hipbaby site is really wonderful, sometimes I found it a little scary or sad since there are worse case scenarios discussed on there too. I tried not to read everything all the time or let too much doubt or "what if" scenarios go through my head. I tried to focus that our treatment would work. The really great thing is you can network with other moms with similar situations and find ways to help your girl adapt. A lot of the moms have very useful and creative ways to deal with clothing, gear, etc.

Hi,
My son was breech as well and both hips were dislocated at birth. This was discovered at birth and he was placed in what was called a Pavlik harness. This was to be worn 24 hours/day. I'm not familiar with the harness your daughter was prescribed, but my son's legs were cinched in a "froggy" position and he could not move them at all. He wore the harness for the first 5 months and was totally immobile during this period. Once we were able to remove the harness his legs stayed in the "froggy" position for quite some time and he didn't begin to move about for a while also. He was delayed in crawling (didn't crawl until 11 months) and walking (didn't start that until 14 months). He is completely fine, even though his gross motor skills were delayed. As for his hips, I was told that he needed an orthopedic exam yearly to ensure his hip joints were forming and growing properly and his femur bones remained in their sockets. I was told if they did not, he would require hip surgery at approx. 8-9 years of age. All was well....the orthopedic declared my son free of issues when he was 7 and we stopped being worried about anything. My son is now 19 and in college...he played soccer and football and still plays hockey with no issues. My guess is that your daughter will be just fine. Kids really adapt to their surroundings and overcome things really easily. I hope you find our experience reassuring. Good luck to you both.
N.

I don't have the exact experience you do, but I can definitely relate. I was born with hip dysplasia in both my hips and my son was born with hip dysplasia in his left hip.

They caught mine at birth but it was pretty severe and in both hips. I wore a brace for three years, the last year or so they were weaning me off of it so I didn't wear it all the time. Because I was put in it right after birth it was no big deal to me, I learned to walk around 12 months with the brace on (my mom says I walked like a cowboy). I totally adapted to it and could do pretty much anything I wanted to. Since then my hips have been fine, I can run, walk, do whatever. I don't remember the experience and I am just grateful that my parents did that for me.

The experience I do remember and am actually going through right now, is my son's hip dysplasia. Becuase I had it I made sure my pediatricians (I had two different ones) checked MANY times to make sure my son didn't. Especially since he was breech and big when he was born. However, they found nothing. That is until he started walking. He was a late walker (probably because of the hip dysplasia), so we didn't find out until he was 16 months old. He walked with a limp. I was very upset that no one found it earlier. Especially since I had been so insistent that they always check. Becuase he was so old when we found it he actually had to have surgery to create a hip socket and then wear a cast (spica cast) from halfway up his torso down to his ankles for seven weeks. Going from being a very active, walking little guy to having this huge restricting cast was very difficult for him and me. He did learn to crawl and roll over with it though. After the seven weeks in a cast they put him in a brace, he is supposed to wear it 24/7 except baths, diaper changes and carseat. He has been in that for 5 or 6 weeks and still has another 3-6 months in it. (as a sidenote I am due in 2 1/2 months with another baby) It is hard to see him not be able to run around with other kids his age, but he is adapting. He crawls a lot, rolls over, can pull himself up to furniture and walk along it, and recently he has learned to stand up in the middle of the room by himself. I think he will learn to walk soon. The doctor has assured me he will learn again, this time with the brace. It is hard to go through, but in the end it will be worth it.

I am so grateful that I was treated when I was a child. Though I don't remember it I am sure it was h*** o* my mom. I am glad that my little guy won't remember this and that once we have finished this adventure he will be able to participate in whatever activities he wants to. I am sure your little daughter will be grateful to you for all you are doing for her. I am sure she will adapt to the harness while in it and will be able to do anything she wants to after.

If you have any other questions or just need moral support my email is ____@____.com

you are really lucky they did not have to put her in cast. babies adapt very well . we are the ones who don'tdo as well.theydon't know any different so for her it is normal .Also you are lucky that they still found it early , MY friend they did not find it until high school and she had to wear braces in high scool. she will do great it is a short time really when we look at the whole picture. I wish you the best .S.

H.

As a nurse, I have seen many children with various appliances to treat hip dysplasia--but the most important children have been my sister and nephew.

40+years ago, my sister went through what was then state of the art treatment. She wasn't diagnosed until she was over a year old, because she, like your daughter had a sublte dislocation, and having no u/s at the time, it didn't show up until she started to try walking. She was in a body cast for 6 months, and then a ponseti bar for a year--much more restrictive devises than a rhino. She wore out the bar--by WALKING on something that resembled a rocker for a rocking horse. We were told by the tech who had to replace this that the possibility of her walking was IMPOSSIBLE, and that we were doing something--as he put her down and she walked away.

What I am trying to convey is that kids adapt wonderfully--and if you don't make a big fuss over the harness, neither will she. She will figure out how to make it work for her, and will think it is normal. And it is SOOOOO much better than the alternative. My cousin, who was treated 10 years before my sister and never healed properly, has now had 6 surgeries, including 2 hip replacements. It is a few months of inconvenience, answering questions from the curious and the insensitive, and trying to put a good spin on it for your daughter--but the alternative is unthinkable. Thank God we have a way of treating these, and our kids are not crippled, as they were only a few decades ago. Your attitude towards the harness will be hers--so treat her as she is--your wonderful, bright, adaptive child who will figure out how to deal with this and grow and thrive. Don't expect any less of her than you would if she wasn't wearing it--and know that it is a blessing, not a burden.

Hugs to you all. She will be AWESOME.

S.

Hi H.,

I think your baby will be just fine.

In the future, you might consider giving the family MSM.

http://www.msm-info.com/

my daughter has osetoarthritis in hips , back and neck, and it is helping her.
Dog owners use large amounts of Brewer's yeast for hip problems and it works. They stop limping.

.is another supplement that is great for hip joints.

Well I hope that my story can dispell some of your fears. I was born with dysplsia to the point where my sockett had healed over. As a result I spent from six weeks of age to 10 months in a cast from below my ribs all the way down my right leg and part way down my left.....and this was in 1962 way before plastic casts. Aparently I was able to pull myself up, roll over and crawl after a fashion and when they took the stinky thing off I pretty much walked away. And do take many pictures because at the age of 47 I have no record of being a baby except for one little picture that was taken at birth, and even though it was dificult for my parents and they didn't want to remember it I actually don't remember and I am very curious and maybe a bit sad that I have no pictures to share with my daughter and granddaughter. So don't worry she will cope and not remember a thing.

Dear H.,
My nephew also had to be in a harness. His condition was not discovered at birth as he wasn't breach or anything out of the ordinary. It was discovered during one of his later check ups while the pediatrician was moving his little legs around and thought something wasn't right.
My sister was devastated that her baby wasn't "normal" and blamed herself that it was all her fault.....
To make a long story short, he did just great. They even had a nick-name for his harness and it was just part of the routine. He had no trouble learning to get around. He's 18 years old now and you would never know he had a bit of a set back as a baby. He's very athletic, extremely active and has no issues with his legs or hips whatsoever. He doesn't even remember having to wear the harness.
I really believe your little one will be just fine. Instead of agonizing over this not being caught sooner, be thankful it was discovered when it was so that she can get it out of the way now as opposed to later.
Best of wishes!

I highly recommend the hipbaby yahoo group referenced in a previous post. everyone there is dealing with the same thing so you can get out your disappointment (that it wasnt caught sooner) your guilt (that somehow this is your fault) and your confusion (about how to get puke out of the harness or whatever). I found the group to be very useful--you do have to filter through the posts that dont apply or have a more negative or positive tone than you can handle.

i have 2 daughters with hip dysplasia. Oldest was diagnosed at 14 months and has had 2 surgeries each followed by the spica casts. my second daughter was caught much earlier because we were looking for it and wore the pavlik for 3 months full time then part time. they are both cleared and in the regular check-up phase, but there was alot to deal with that the group was very helpful.

good luck!!

Hi! I wanted to respond because I was born with hip dysplasia and had to wear the brace until I was around 14 months. The treatment pre-brace (as I am told... I don't remember my own infancy) was basically "double diapering" to keep the hips held open properly. Anyway, even with early detection and the lesser treatment I still ended up in the brace, so don't get frustated about not catching it earlier.

I learned to "crawl" (actually me dragging my harnessed legs behind me while walking on my hands like an army crawl with strait arms) and pull up while in the harness. I started walking a few days after I stopped wearing it full time and very quickly caught up to my peers.

Your darling girl will be fine. Enjoy her and the funny harness :-)

Hope this helps,
T.

If you don ot make an issue of is, neither will she. She will adapt. Don't worry about the development milestones - she will make them all on her own schedule. You may want to request for her to have physical therapy to help both of you learn the best way for her to move and play. Be strong and patient - this is just a small bump in the road and your daughter will be fine.