Hip Dysplasia Treatment

About Hip Dysplasia Treatment

Hip dysplasia treatment addresses developmental dysplasia of the hip, a condition in which the hip socket is too shallow to properly cover and stabilize the head of the thighbone, ranging from mild looseness to complete dislocation, and most often identified in infancy through screening but sometimes diagnosed later in childhood or adulthood. In young infants, treatment usually begins with a positioning harness, such as a Pavlik harness, worn for several weeks to gently guide the hip into a stable, well-seated position while the socket develops normally. When dysplasia is diagnosed later, is more severe, or does not respond to bracing, surgical options may be needed, ranging from closed or open reduction of the hip joint to a periacetabular or pelvic osteotomy that reshapes and repositions the socket to better cover the femoral head, sometimes combined with a femoral osteotomy. Surgery is performed under general anesthesia and is typically followed by a period of cast or brace immobilization to protect the correction. Indian pediatric and adult hip preservation units offer both bracing protocols for infants and reconstructive osteotomy techniques for older children and young adults. Long-term follow-up is important, as untreated or inadequately corrected dysplasia can lead to early hip arthritis.