Preluxation examination allows to detect a potential disease – hip dysplasia. It is characterized by jumping of a hip joint during care in the first weeks of a toddler’s life. It is caused by instability associated with displacement of femur beyond the acetabular boundaries. In the postnatal period dysplasia may be noticed when a baby has a difficulty in moving legs sideways. Dysplasia can be congenital or acquired defect – the most common case of the appearance of this ailment are toddlers placed buttocks during childbirth.

Doctors believe that in addition to the examination performed by a neonatologist immediately after the birth of a child – during which he assesses joint and bone dysfunctions – the toddler should be subjected to three ultrasound examinations of hips that are treated prophylactically:

• between 6 and 12 weeks of age,
• after completing the 3rd month,
• when the child starts to walk independently.

The pre-luxation test is a painless and completely safe test for a toddler. There are no contraindications to its implementation. It also requires no preparation other than clothing so as to be able to undress the child quickly for examination.

During the examination, an orthopedist asks for the toddler to be placed on a couch and applies a gel to the examined area allowing the ultrasound head to slide over the skin. Then, moving it and arranging it at different angles, he observes the image on the monitor, which allows him to detect irregularities.

The final stage is a dynamic examination, during which the doctor checks the range of hip motion and a feet for a final evaluation.

Symptoms include:

• asymmetrical or unnatural arrangement of the legs,
• differences in the length of the lower limbs,
• resistance to movement,
• asymmetrical folds between the buttocks and thighs.

In case your child has problems with tilting legs – as well as the fact that a child is bending definitely more one leg or more willing to move it, you should report to the clinic as soon as possible to preluxation outpatient, where the orthopedist will examine the baby and, if necessary, perform an ultrasound and will implement appropriate effective treatment. Parental awareness is extremely important because abnormalities in the structure or mobility of the joint can result in sprains, instability and may threaten the abnormal development of the child’s motor skills. Parents are cordially invited to visit our Prelux Clinic, where we will comprehensively take care of your children.