A person with hip dysplasia has a hip socket that doesn't fully cover the ball portion of the upper thigh bone. This means the hip joint can easily become partially or even fully dislocated. Typically, people with the condition were born with it, and it definitely can cause problems later in life, like a limp or other more serious problems. Sometimes, hip dysplasia might not be problematic until teenage hood or young adulthood. Hip dysplasia can damage the cartilage that lines the joint (osteoarthritis) or damage the soft cartilage that rims the socket portion of the hip joint (a labral tear). Also, hip dysplasia makes a person much more susceptible to a partial or full dislocation of the hip. For such reasons, it's important to address the condition as early as possible, and this is why doctors check for the condition right after birth and even again after that.