Hip dysplasia is a condition of the hip joint where the socket is dysplastic and not “normally developed”. If the socket is very shallow this can lead to a dislocation of the femoral head, where the head of the femur slips out of the socket. It is often referred to as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) or congenital hip dislocation and is usually a problem that is present from birth but sometimes might present later in early childhood.

DDH is most common in first born females, and there are risk factors such as breech presentation or positive family history (genetic factor). Provided that the condition is diagnosed early and treated within the first three months of life, most children with hip dysplasia will develop normally and only bracing is required. Following hip bracing, if the treatment is successful, the child’s hip is expected to have a full range of movement, without any need for surgery. However, if undiagnosed and untreated, DDH can cause problems in later life.

Hip sonography in the "Graf technique" is an important tool to detect early DDH cases and dysplastic hips in infants. Doctors check babies’ hips more than once throughout their development - immediately after birth during the newborn physical examination and again after six to eight weeks. Clinical examination of the baby’s hip joints can reveal symptoms such as:

• Discomfort or pain

• Reduced abduction

• Instability

• Leg length discrepancy