Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is a form of deformity or misalignment in the position of thehip joint which can be either congenital or aquired during life. Hip dysplasia can vary from barely visible to extreme deformity and joint dislocation. The deformity relates to the femur head position inside the hip joint socket. There can be four positions of the hip joint: normal joint position, hip dysplasia, subluxation, and luxation. Hip dysplasia can be bilateral, both hips affected, or unilateral, with only one hip affected.

 Hip dysplasia can affect both the joint socket (acetabular deformity) and the femur bone head. Actebaulum is the cartilage that surrounds the hip socket and makes the joint bigger and more stable. The femur head can be smaller or too narrow, underdeveloped due to different factors and the acetabulum can be too shallow or too wide.

The causes of congenital hip dysplasia can be hormonal, to be exact due to the hormone relaxin and there are also different theories claiming that this deformity occurs more often with certain ethnicities, such as native Americans and Laps. Aquired hip dysplasia can be caused by longterm use of restrictive forms of transportation for children, such as baby carriers and baby seats which put additional loads on the hips by putting them in a position where they are overly adducted and they get pulled out of the hip joint socket. Gender and genetics (hereditary condition) are also mentioned as possible causes of hip dysplasia along with the width of uterus which can also affect the development of hips while the child is still in the uterus.

The deformity can be diagnosed through two methods: Ortolani and Barlow method, or it can be diagnosed using ultrasound and x-ray diagnostics.

The state can cause pain, early onset of arthritis or hip joint cartilage damage and it can lead to limping, muscle contractures and decreased joint mobility. Surgical methods of treatment can be used in some cases where an artificial hip joint is made. Coonservative therapy implies use of both physical therapy and kinesitherapy methods in order to relieve pain, inflamamation and increase mobility, strenght and functionality of the joint.

Prevention: with children it is important to use proper seats and carriers that are nor restrictive and to not leave the children in them for extended periods of time so that added loads are not put on their hips and they would not get damaged or deformed. It is also very important to conduct proper hip joint mibility exercises. With adults the deformity can be prevented with regular physical activity, avoiding a sedentary way of life, using hip mobility exercises, etc.