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Extra fold on the thigh

5 replies

NancyGuest ·
Went to the pediatric clinic today with our nearly 5-week-old daughter. The pediatrician noticed an extra fold on her upper thighs. This is present in 1 out of 3 babies. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it can indicate hip problems. However, she couldn't find anything abnormal that would suggest such issues; her hips are flexible and her legs are equal in length. She will be checked for this every time, and if there's any doubt, an ultrasound of the hip joint will be performed. The pediatrician mentioned that 9 out of 10 ultrasounds come back clear. If something is found, the treatment is a spreader brace.

Has anyone else experienced this? And how did it turn out in the end?

Replies

  1. Lonn Guest #2

    Hi Nancy,

    I understand you're worried.

    My 3 daughters had extra folds and no hip dysplasia. I had this myself as a baby. I was also checked for hip dysplasia. But I didn't have it.
    We are all quite slim with somewhat sturdier thighs than the average Dutch girl. Maybe that's why it happened with us :-)
    Hope it's not hip dysplasia for your daughter either!

    Greetings!

  2. Nancy started this #3

    Thanks for your reply, Lonn.
    Fortunately, there are no hip issues in my partner's family either. I didn't have an extra fold, and my partner doesn't know if they had it because they're from Suriname, where they didn't have those checks back then.

    We'll just have to wait and see, but so far, nothing unusual has been found during the physical examination.

  3. kruimel #4

    Hi

    Yeah, we had that here too.
    My daughter, who was 4-5 months old back then, had an extra fold. But also a dimple (a closed 'hole' in the lower back, in my daughter's case just above where the butt crack should end, she was born with it here), an asymmetric butt crack (due to that dimple), uneven legs, and a preferred posture. More than enough reason to get an ultrasound. The words "hip harness" and even "possible surgery" were mentioned right away at the pediatrician's office, scare tactics that still make me angry

    In the end, there was nothing wrong. Her hips were perfectly fine. Her development was and still is perfect.

  4. Nancy Guest #5

    We have a preferred position here too, but everything is going well.

    Hope it works out with the hips like it did for you guys.

    It's annoying that the CB is already so far ahead of things and turns out there's nothing wrong... At ours, they just said the fold is there and they'll keep an eye on it, and maybe an ultrasound will be done. And that a spreader brace is one of the treatments, yes.

  5. chantal_h #6

    Hey Nancy,

    My brother also had a hip brace when he was younger. It's not a big deal though, it's at most a bit uncomfortable. For both the child and the parents. For the child, because their legs are always spread wide. And for the parents, because it's hard to put pants on them. So then they wear skirts with leggings instead.

    Now I have a son of 8 weeks myself, and they'll be checking extra carefully to see if he has it too.

    My brother's daughter also ended up having it, but the difference was minimal. She only wore that brace for a few weeks.

    Don't let them scare you.

    And it's nice that they're looking at it closely, right?

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