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hips / legs also in baby +updated*
hi, im hopeing someone can help...
my daughter is 5 1/2 months and has torticollis, Iv recently noticed thta her legs tend to vear to her right when shes kicking etc, especially without her nappy on. On closer inspection I can see that her left leg seems to be a bit shorter, although her movement is fine and she doesn't seem in pain.
when her torticollis was first diagnosed i was told that hip problems are more common in babies with tort although she was checked for 'clicks' and they said she was fine.
im truelly devestated
does anyone know anything about this, Im going out my mind with worry, my HV isn't back in the office until later this aft and my doctors receptionist didn't share my veiw that it was urgent so I have to wait till monday before i can go there.
x
[Modified by: iansprincess on 24 February 2010 11:52:33 ]
my daughter is 5 1/2 months and has torticollis, Iv recently noticed thta her legs tend to vear to her right when shes kicking etc, especially without her nappy on. On closer inspection I can see that her left leg seems to be a bit shorter, although her movement is fine and she doesn't seem in pain.
when her torticollis was first diagnosed i was told that hip problems are more common in babies with tort although she was checked for 'clicks' and they said she was fine.
im truelly devestated
does anyone know anything about this, Im going out my mind with worry, my HV isn't back in the office until later this aft and my doctors receptionist didn't share my veiw that it was urgent so I have to wait till monday before i can go there.
x
[Modified by: iansprincess on 24 February 2010 11:52:33 ]
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Replies
When my first son was small I noticed that his left hand and arm were smaller than his right and he very rarely used it but over time he did and was nothing to worry about so hope it corrects itself with time. They get checked for their hips at birth too so hopefully it is fine but I can understand your concerns and hope someone can put your mnd at rest soon
Kx
I think the hip thing is also caused by being squashed up so thats probably why they're worried. I think her movement is too good for her hip to be dislocated but I feel physically sick with worry and I keep crying all the time. Im so angry at the hospital. If the pead had seen her for a follow up appointment after the first visit, her head might not be so bad and if there is a problem with her hips she could have been checking her legs.
rant over, deep breaths! x
K x
Providing the condition is picked up before they start walking it can be easily corrected with a special kind of harness and there should be no ongoing problems.
Go and see your GP - he'll probably refer you to paeds. Do not worry, this is totally reversible!
G/C from Sept 09 (although Dd was an Aug baby in the end but I have stayed in that forum).
Anyway, back to the point. Dd was breech (undiagnosed but I had to have a c-section anyway) and then had to have a scan automatically at 6 weeks. All breech babies do apparenty. I suppose it's a bit like the problems you are having in that they are squashed in the womb in an abnormal position.
Was your baby breech?
We were quite blase when we went into the scan as her hip movements a leg movements were fine. It all looked fine and she was kicking and waving them. It turned out though that both hips were dislocatable (not fully dislocated but kept popping in and out of the sockets). One was worse than the other.
As I say, we had no inkling, the doctors didn't pick it up on the hip check when she was still in hospital and if it wasn't for the scan we would not have known until she walked so we are so pleased they caught it early.
It meant she had to have a Pavlik Harness for 10 weeks which in all honesty didn't bother her in the slightest. Mummy and Daddy found it harder as it retricts how you hold her, can't bath her etc but we got used to it very quickly and I am pleased to say that after physio to loosen the harness as she grew and after several scans her hips are now fine (touch wood). She has a check up when she is nearly one but fingers crossed that is it. The harness keeps her legs up in a frog like position and allows the hip socket to form properly around the joint. Apparently 1:100 babies have this problem and it is more prevalent in girls.
It hasn't stopped Dd at all. She rolled from front to back 2 weeks after the harness came off (when she was 4.5 months) and then rolled back to front at 5 months so all that upset was worth it in the end.
I do recommend that you keep chasing the docs as if it is this problem caught early enough it is easily fixable (is that a word
I am so sorry to hear about all the problems you have had and that the hospital seem to have let you down. I really hope the helmet is helping her.
If it is a problem like my Dd had and she has to have the harness please do e-mail me if you want any information or just someone to talk to. I did feel so lonely sometimes as no one else I knew had one and it was tough at times for me (as I say not for her) so I'd be pleased to do anything I can to help you.
I really hope she is seen soon and that she is OK.
Take care xx
[Modified by: MrsRG on February 14, 2010 11:32 AM]
we saw the dr this morning and good news is her hips are fine, perfectly stable. bad news is she thinks its a muscle weakness which could be very serious or could be fine with a bit of physio.
So we're going to peadiatrics on monday and keeping ourfingers crossed in the mean time!
thank you for your replies, I think sometimes I just need someone to talk to x
well lydia saw the pead on monday, lydia was very uncooperative so the doc couldn't really examine her properly, shes going to get the physio to check her on the 15th and will see her again in a few months (think we're waiting for it to get worse so they can make a diagnosis) they also took a hip x-ray (just to be sure)
anyway I had another proper look at her yesterday and I dont think its just her leg, I think her whole body is shorter on the left side. her hip bone is also higher on the left so maybe the leg is fine but starts higher up so looks shorter??
does anyone have any ideas what this could be???
Im getting really upset about it all, I just want to know whats wrong, if anything, and whatwe can do to help her. Im truely devestated.
x
sorry i haven't been on much and missed your first post.
i'm really not sure what this could be. when you say her body feels shorter on the left does it feel tighter like muscle spasm? or does the right feel floppy?
does she reach for things with her right hand and take weight evenly when she sits?
it could be that she has some change in her muscles but it is frustrating that you are left waiting.
does she have a physio appointment? i am a physio but have very very limited paed experience. if she is not being seen by a physio you need to pester your hv and gp so she is seen as soon as possible so they can assess her and give you guidence on treatment.
let us know how you get on.
Anna x
yeah she does have a physio for her torticollis so we have an appointment with her on the 15th.
Both her legs seem strong although she uses her left side considerably less I dont think its weeker. when i press her hip bones the left is at least a cm higher than the right, her left leg looks shorter (although that could be coz the hip starts higher up - hope this makes sense!) her right shoulder also seems to be higher, but only really notice it when shes laid flat. shes not sitting up yet and only just rolling half way over so difficult to say. when you stand her up her right foot is flat and her left on tip toes. Also her body seems to curve out more, sorry this is so hard to explain, her right side of her torso curves out like an egg shape from her armpit to her hip, but the left only curves slightly and seems to go more straight down.
this has got me in giggles now lol, its so hard to explain!!
I really dont like my pead tho, shes very dismissive and seems very uninterested. she spent the first 5 minutes telling me how she wasn't sure of how much she could do for lydia coz it was an ashma clinic! am I to presume she forgets all her other medical knowledge on this day??? when we saw her at 7 weeks she said there was nothing wrong with lydias neck and only gave physio coz i insisted. 5 months later, with daily exercises lydia still cant turn to look over her left shoulder and has very very seveer plagiocephaly. Iv asked to transfeere to a different hospital tho so hopefully the next doctor we see will be a bit more helpfull x
it could be that her neck is making her body shape seem uneven. when you see the physio ask them to check her leg length.
really hope you get some answers soon x