Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH)

DDH is caused when the developing hip in the later stages of pregnancy and early infancy dislocates. The round femoral head sits in the soft cartilaginous socket and creates its shape. If the femoral head dislocates, the socket formed becomes shallow and steep. If this is not corrected early on, the socket will always be abnormally shaped and the femoral head will sit on the edge of the socket or, in a worst case scenario, will sit outside of the socket, creating a false hip joint.

The cartilage of the head and the socket can become arthritic early in life due to the abnormal shape, or Incongruous nature of the joint. In some cases this may require total hip replacement in teenagers or early 20s.