The journey of Congenital Hip Dysplasia: 1/31/10

Thumbs up last shot....

Giving my lost blood thinner shot...

Last one.....

Ashley, Jessica, Shelly and I.....

Shelly and I

Exactly what is Congenital Hip Dysplasia and a PAO!

Congenital Hip Dysplasia- Congenital hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip joint in which the ball at the top of the thighbone (femoral head) is not stable in the socket (acetabulum). Also, the ligaments of the hip joint may be loose and stretched. The degree of instability or looseness varies. A baby born with DDH may have the ball of his or her hip loosely in the socket, the looseness may worsen as the child grows and becomes more active, or the ball may be completely dislocated at birth. Left untreated, DDH or Congenital hip dysplasia leads to pain and osteoarthritis by early adulthood. Also it only occurs in about 1 in 1,000 births. So it something i was born with but just wasn't caught at birth.

A periacetabular Osteotomy- "Periacetabular" means around the acetabulum. "Osteotomy" means to cut bone. In PAO, the patient's own joint is surgically altered to create a broader load-bearing surface. During the surgery, the acetabulum is sawed apart from the rest of the pelvis, in a few places and is repositioned to cover the head of the femur, and secured with metal hardware. If necessary, the head of the femur is repositioned by surgery on the femoral neck.

The journey of Congenital Hip Dysplasia

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Here are some pictures from along the way....