When your healthcare provider bends your baby?s legs into a froggy position during every well-baby appointment, she?s checking for hip dysplasia, a condition where one or both of the hip joints are unusually loose. About one in six babies have some mild hip joint instability that resolves on its own a few weeks after birth, but about two to three babies per 1,000 need treatment, such as a harness or brace to position the hips correctly, and some even need surgery. Here?s what you need to know about hip dysplasia in infants and toddlers.
What is hip dysplasia"

Hip dysplasia is also known as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). When babies are born, their hip joints are a mixture of bone and soft cartilage, gradually hardening to bone over the first few months. When you picture the hip joint, think of the ?ball? of the end of the thigh bone, or femur, fitting into the ?socket,? or depression in the pelvis. Hip dysplasia refers to a situation where the ball and socket don?t fit together properly. It can happen around birth, after birth and occasionally into childhood. If hip dysplasia isn?t treated, it can lead to problems with walking and can contribute to issues such as hip osteoarthritis later in life. Causes of hip dysplasia

Doctors and researchers don?t know exactly what causes hip dysplasia, but they have identified some risk factors. Hip dysplasia is about 12 times more likely when a baby?s parent or sibling also has the condition, and it?s more common in gi...