DDH Annual Check-Up 2012

I wrote this on March 29th, but held off posting until I could scan her x-ray.  Seeing how that hasn't happened I thought I would go ahead and post it.

Kaitlyn Joy went to see Dr Brock today.  It's been three years and two months since her open reduction and everything looks great.  I know a lot of parents watch their kids go through surgeries, procedures, and therapy after therapy only to start all over or finally conceded the hip(s) will not be improving anymore.  I'm very thankful Kj's hip is doing wonderful after three surgeries, the last two just to remove hardware, two cast and two braces.  I'm VERY thankful everything was done in one shot.  She didn't have to go from one treatment trying to correct the problem.  Her hip responded wonderfully after the first surgery and everything beyond that was to hold it in place while it strengthened and grew.

Two weeks after her first surgery we learned her bone graft had moved.  Dr Brock told us at that point she would probably need it all again at 4-5 years old.  Even though everything has looked great since her last surgery, I've held my breath at each four and five year old appointment.  And thank God, she's fine.

During Kj's first surgery her right femur was shortened.  She had the plate and screws removed from her femur eight months later.  She actually had dark hair on her thigh leading up to the last surgery.  Dr Brock was concerned when he noticed her right leg had already caught back up with her left.  He said the surgery could cause the leg to grow some more.  He said she would be fine, but we may notice a problem when she's 15 and we will deal with that then.  I believe what he was doing was telling me not to worry about all the little mommy fears we focus on.  Well, this has been one of those things I've been slightly concerned about since that point.  Now I'll say, after her third surgery all the dark hair fell out of her thigh.  It quit getting all the extra blood flow.  I brought up the leg length issue today with Dr Brock.  He told us how we could tell if there was a problem then stood Kj up and checked for himself.  I'm happy to say her legs are perfect.  He said if there was going to be an issue it would have shown up within a year of her surgery and we're now three years out.

For other DDH (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip) or CDH (Congenital Dysplasia of the Hip) moms and dads, Dr Brock said swimming is a great therapy for our kids.  He said it strengthens them and helps with breaking up scar tissue for those that get that in the hip socket.  And for those of you who haven't talked to your orthopedic surgeon in years, perhaps you changed doctors or he has released you, Dr Brock said he likes to hear back from his patients.  He said it's his chance to learn.  Not to mention he thinks about his old patients wanting to know how they are doing.  So go write, email, or call your doctors. =)