This baby attitude while wearing promotes a healthy hip development of the child

To promote healthy development of the baby hip by squat-spreading position

When babies are born, their hips are not yet properly formed and, especially in the first months of their lives, they are still sensitive and very malleable. The so-called squat-spread position while wearing contributes to a healthy development of the baby hip. This is indicated by health experts.

Babies are often carried on the body

Infants like to be carried by their parents on the body. Proximity to the mother or father should give them a feeling of security. However, it can also be made mistakes that sometimes even cause hip damage. Properly worn, but also the healthy education of the baby hip is promoted. This is indicated by the German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery e.V. (DGOU).

Babies are often worn on the body to give them a feeling of security. The squat-spreading position contributes to a healthy development of the baby hip. (Image: Kzenon / fotolia.com)

Hip of newborn is not finished yet

After birth, the child's hip is not finished yet, but for the most part only cartilaginous. It is therefore very sensitive in the first six months of life, writes the DGOU in a statement.

According to the experts, she is still very malleable until the start of the race at 18 months. If the hip does not develop properly, then there is a so-called hip dysplasia: Hüftkopf and pan do not fit together optimally.

The femoral head is only partially covered by the pan - and not as usual in its entire width.

In rare cases, the pan is so poorly developed that it can not hold the femoral head. It comes to the so-called hip dislocation: The hip is aging.

Support proper maturation of delicate baby hip

Wearing the children in the so-called squatting position supports the proper maturation of the delicate baby hip.

The legs of the infant are spread apart and the knees are angled at the navel level. This position of the hips also corresponds to the natural position in the womb.

The thighbones work optimally with their hip heads in this posture on the acetabulum. Properly tied slings and selected baby carriers support this hip-friendly posture.

"A healthy hip in childhood is the basis for a pain-free life in old age," says Prof. Dr. med. Dr. Werner Siebert, President of the DGOU and Medical Director of the Vitos Orthopedic Clinic Kassel.

Incorrect wearing delays the development of the hip

Conversely, wearing in stretched position with legs compressed can delay and damage hip development.

"With stretched thighs, the pan is loaded at its most sensitive and weakest point. The cartilaginous portion of the immature pan gives way. It becomes deformed and dysplastic, "says Professor Robert Rödl, 1st Chairman of the DGOU section" Association for Pediatric Orthopedics "and Chief Physician of the Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Deformity Reconstruction and Foot Surgery at the University Hospital Münster.

The development of the hip must therefore be observed. Decisive are the timely U-investigations of the "Yellow Issue".

The hips of children with risk factors are gently examined by ultrasound during the third to tenth day of life already during the U2. All other children receive the hip ultrasound at U3 in the fourth to fifth week of life.

"Hip ultrasound screening is a blessing. In the past, many more surgeries were needed because you missed the crucial phase, "says Rödl.

However, the DGOU has pointed out in the past that hip sonography is often not used in infants.

Early detection and immediate gentle therapy

Hip ultrasound indicates if therapy is needed before irretrievable damage has occurred. "The earlier we detect damage, the shorter and gentler the therapy," emphasizes Rödl.

If hip dysplasia is diagnosed in good time, therapy is conservative, ie non-operative: the position of the thighs in the squat position is used for good hip joint formation.

But the sling is not enough anymore - rails and gypsum pants are used, which work 24 hours a day.

Dysplastic hips, which are recognized only after the second year of life, can only be corrected by pelvic surgery.

Even in older adolescents and young adults can still be corrected on the pelvis, but the operation is then more complex.

Failure to correct hip dysplasia will result in premature wear. Then, even at a young age, replacement with a new hip joint may be necessary.

This is prevented by an early detection and immediate gentle therapy - ideally directly after the birth - at the latest during the check-ups U2 or U3.

Background information

According to the experts, about two to four out of every hundred children with hip-induced maturation disorders are born on the hip.

Orthopedic surgeons and accident surgeons use ultrasound to detect hip dysplasia immediately after birth and can treat them early on an outpatient basis. Since 1996, the diagnostic procedure has been an integral part of the U2 and U3 examinations.

The early detection and treatment of hip rupture disorders in the future will lead to a significant reduction in total hip arthroplasty in patients under 50 years of age. For at present, at least 15 percent are used as a result of untreated hip dysplasia.

The introduction of the ultrasound examination of the infant hip contributes significantly to the improvement of pediatric orthopedic health care. (Ad)