Question
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: My daughter seems to have a shorter right leg when walking, exhibits a limp, and always uses her left leg as the main support leg when standing. There are no obvious dimples on her buttocks, and her right leg is also very flexible. We previously went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said everything was fine. Later, we went to another hospital and had an X-ray taken, and the doctor also said there was nothing wrong. However, I am still worried and don’t know if an X-ray examination can serve as evidence against congenital hip dislocation?
Answer
Hello: Congenital hip dislocation is more common in the northern regions of our country than in the southern regions. The general incidence rate in the north is about 0.3%, with more girls affected than boys, and more on the left side than on the right. This condition is best treated as early as possible, with treatment for newborns within the first two months being the simplest and most effective, almost completely restoring normalcy. For infants from 3 months to 1 year old, correction and fixation can also achieve ideal results. Children aged 1 to 3 years, due to longer dislocation time, may have varying degrees of contraction of the surrounding soft tissues of the hip joint, so traction is needed before reduction to achieve a better outcome. For children aged 3 to 8 years, with even longer dislocation time and more severe soft tissue contraction, as well as poor hip joint development, manual reduction is difficult, and most require surgery to realign the hip joint. Treatment outcomes for this age group are not as good as those for younger children, but many can still recover normally. Treatment for children over 8 years old is more challenging.