Warning over signs of hip dysplasia

PARENTS and health professionals should learn how to spot the potentially debilitating condition of hip dysplasia, a midwife has warned.

Nikki Khan, who works as a clinical negligence lawyer, warned children were at risk of being unable to walk properly as a result of misdiagnoses.

Sufferers are born with hip joints that do not enclose the socket at the top of the leg. Early intervention could mean affected children do not have to undergo painful surgery later.

Ms Khan said: “It is important to keep an eye out for symptoms.”

They include hearing or feeling a click from the joint when changing a baby’s nappy, skin creases around the thigh, one leg being shorter than the other, or the baby dragging a leg when learning to crawl.