Closed reduction for hip dislocation

Need to know

• What happens icon plus

  Your baby's consultant will firstly perform an arthrogram. This is a minimally invasive procedure conducted under local anaesthetic. A special dye is inserted into your baby's hip joint to produce X-ray images of the area. For the closed reduction procedure your baby will be placed under general anaesthetic. The surgeon will make a very small opening at your baby's groin, allowing access to the adductor tendon. The tendon is often very tight, and so releasing it can take the pressure of the soft tissues around the hip joint. It is then possible to gently move the ball at the top of your baby's thigh bone (femoral head) back into its socket.

• How to prepare icon plus

  Your child's consultant will explain how to prepare for their arthrogram, answering any questions you might have.

• Afterwards icon plus

  Your baby's consultant surgeon will place them into a spica cast. This helps to ensure their hip remains in its newly aligned position. The cast is changed every six weeks and may be worn for between three to six months. After the spica cast is removed, your baby will likely wear a hip abduction brace for the next few weeks. This is to provide them extra support with movement and muscle strengthening, as they would have been wearing a cast for an extended period of time.