Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

Description: Pediatrics: Hip Dysplasia Definition Developmental dysplasia of the hip means bad formation of the joint that connects the body with the lower limb. The hip is a ball and socket joint. The ball is the head of the femur, or thigh-bone, and the socket is the acetabulum of the pelvis. There are two principal types of DDH: The hip may be unstable, or "dislocated": the ball is dislocated from, or falls out of, the socket. Alternatively, the hip may be stable, or "subluxated": there is no dislocation, but the socket grows too small or too shallow to adequately cover or contain the ball, which shifts around inside the socket but does not completely fall out.