Dislocated Hips

It is not uncommon for a child with SB to be born with one or two dislocated hips. Oftentimes this is caused by the hip sockets not fully forming which allows the ball of the femur to "pop" in and out of the socket.

While it sounds counter intuitive, standard medical practice is to leave the hip(s) dislocated rather than correct it with surgery. Anytime surgery is done, scar tissue is left behind. When you develop scar tissue in an area of the body that is involved in dynamic movement (such as the hip), scar tissue reduces range of motion and increases discomfort.

Unless the dislocated hip(s) is interfering with with the child's development and abilities, it is better to leave it as is.

Parents Note:

Our Annie was born with two dislocated hips. It was a real shock to us when the doctors did not want to correct them but now we fully understand. Annie's hips being dislocated does not cause her any discomfort and they don't hold her back in any way. Of course, she does get her legs in some pretty wild positions from time to time! Here she is at 25 months:

But is has just become one the unique and endearing things we love about her.

Further Reading:

"Dislocation of Hip" on Wikipedia