Orthopedics focuses on the musculoskeletal system. Learn about the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of bone, joint, ligament, and muscle conditions.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
When we think of hip problems, we often imagine older adults or athletes. However, hip conditions in infants, children, and adolescents are a unique and critical area of medicine known as pediatric orthopedics. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket mechanism that connects the leg to the pelvis. In a growing child, this joint is not just a smaller version of an adult hip; it is a dynamic, developing structure made largely of cartilage that slowly hardens into bone. Because it is constantly growing and changing, it is susceptible to specific problems that simply do not occur in adults.
Pediatric hip conditions can range from subtle issues present at birth, such as hip dysplasia, to sudden emergencies like infections or slipped growth plates in teenagers. Identifying and treating these problems early is vital. Ignoring a hip problem in childhood can result in severe rigid arthritis, pain, and disability in adulthood. This section will guide you through the basics of the pediatric hip, explaining how it grows, what can go wrong, and why specialized care is so important for protecting a child’s future mobility.
The hip joint is where the femur (thighbone) meets the pelvis. The “ball” is the head of the femur, and the “socket” is a cup-shaped part of the pelvis called the acetabulum. In babies, both the ball and the socket are made mostly of soft cartilage. As the child grows, this cartilage ossifies, or turns into hard bone.
For the hip to develop correctly, the ball must be seated firmly inside the socket. This pressure and movement stimulate the socket to grow deep and cup-shaped. If the ball is loose or dislocated, the socket remains shallow and flat. This relationship is crucial; the shape of the adult hip is largely determined by how well the parts fit together during childhood.
Pediatric hip disorders are generally categorized by the age at which they appear. In infants, the most common concern is Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). This is where the socket is too shallow, allowing the ball to slip in and out. It is often detected during routine newborn exams.
In young children (ages 4-8), a condition called Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease can occur. This is a temporary loss of blood supply to the ball of the hip, causing the bone to die and collapse before healing. In adolescents and pre-teens, the most common issue is Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE). This type of injury is a fracture through the growth plate that causes the ball of the hip to slip off the neck of the thighbone, like ice cream slipping off a cone.
This condition exists on a spectrum. It can be mild, where the joint is just loose, or severe, where the hip is completely dislocated.
DDH is often painless in babies, which makes it tricky to spot without a doctor’s exam. Early treatment with a simple harness can often correct the problem without surgery by holding the legs in a position that deepens the socket.
This type of infection is the most common cause of sudden hip pain in young children. It is a temporary inflammation of the hip lining, often following a viral cold.
While scary for parents because the child may limp or refuse to walk, it is generally harmless and resolves on its own with rest and anti-inflammatory medication within a week or so.
A unique feature of pediatric bones is the presence of growth plates, or physes. These are bands of cartilage near the ends of long bones where growth actually happens. In the hip, there is a growth plate right at the top of the femur, just under the ball.
This growth plate is the weakest part of the skeleton—even weaker than the ligaments. An injury that would cause a sprain in an adult often causes a fracture through the growth plate in a child. Conditions like SCFE specifically affect this vulnerable area. Understanding growth plates helps explain why children need different treatments than adults; doctors must be careful not to damage these areas during surgery to avoid stunting the leg’s growth.
The window of opportunity for treating pediatric hip conditions is often limited. Because the bones are growing rapidly, deformities can worsen quickly if left untreated. Conversely, the body’s ability to “remodel” or correct itself is highest in younger children.
For instance, if you hold a baby’s shallow hip socket in place for a few months, it can often reshape itself perfectly. Major surgery is usually required to cut and reposition the bone. Early screening and paying attention to signs like a limp or uneven leg lengths are the best ways to ensure a simple, non-surgical solution.
Treating children requires a different skill set than treating adults. A pediatric orthopedic surgeon has specialized training in the growing skeleton. They understand how a surgery done today will affect the child’s growth ten years from now.
They are also experts in the non-medical side of care: easing a child’s anxiety, casting tiny limbs, and working with parents to manage complex treatment plans. Their goal is not just to fix the X-ray but to ensure the child can run, play, and develop normally alongside their peers.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Doctors perform the “Barlow and Ortolani” tests—gently moving the baby’s legs—to check for “clicks” or “clunks” that indicate the hip is loose or dislocated (DDH).
Yes, there is a genetic component. If a parent or sibling had DDH, the baby is at higher risk. It is also more common in girls and firstborn children.
Swaddling a baby too tightly with legs straight together can increase the risk of DDH. It is better to swaddle with the hips loose and bent (frog-leg position) or use a carrier that supports the thighs.
A limp is never “normal,” but it isn’t always serious. It can be caused by anything from a stone in the shoe to a hip infection. If a limp persists for more than a day or is associated with fever, see a doctor immediately.
Most pediatric hip conditions, if treated early, do not require replacement in childhood. The goal of treatment is to preserve the natural hip so that it lasts well into adulthood, delaying or preventing the need for replacement later in life.
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
