Hip luxation
Overview
Hip dislocation - the ball of the hip joint comes out of the socket.
Symptoms
- Dislocated hip
- Hip pain
- Waddling walk
- Limp
- Toe-walking
- Unequal leg lengths
- "click" in hips when moved in certain ways
Causes
Experts are uncertain about the causes of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). Dislocation is 10 times more common after breech delivery (malpositioning in utero) than after cephalic delivery, and it’s also more common among large neonates and twins. Females are affected more often than males. Genetic factors may also play a role. Although Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip is found throughout the world, incidence is particularly high among Native Americans.
Diagnosis
Pain arising from the hip joint is aggrevated with or after use, particularly weight-bearing, and improved with rest. In contrast, constant pain, particularly pain at night, should suggest an infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic process. In disease of the hip joint, the earliest limitation is internal rotation with the hip hyperextended. The hip joint is palpated just below the inguinal ligament lateral to the femoral artery. Tenderness and/or crepitance are usually felt there with movement. Manual internal and external rotation of the hip with the knee and hip in flexion usually reproduces pain as does concussion of the heel with the examiner’s palm.