It occurs once or twice in every 1000 live births. The hip joint is created as a ball and socket joint. In DDH, the hip socket may be shallow, letting the ball of the long leg bone, also known as the femoral head, slip in and out of the socket. The ball may move partially or completely out of the hip socket. Hip dysplasia is considered a multifactorial trait.
Multifactorial inheritance means that many factors are involved in causing a birth defect.
The factors are usually both genetic and environmental. All newborn babies are screened in the hospital for this hip problem before they go home. However, DDH may not be discovered until later check ups. The goal of treatment is to put the femoral head back into the socket of the hip so that the hip can develop normally. Click here to view the Online Resources page of this Web.