Mothers receive the first knowledge on caring for a baby immediately at the maternity hospital. The patronage nurse shows how to take care of the child's skin, how to moisturize it, how to keep it clean and dry after bathing, how to rid the baby of sweat and fat deposits, how to care for the folds and whether it is necessary to treat them from the inside. Pressing the legs against each other, the nurse pays attention to the symmetry of the inguinal and knee folds. It is believed that this issue should be given paramount importance, since asymmetrical folds are the first sign of dysplasia of the musculoskeletal system.
Asymmetric folds on the baby's legs
After giving birth, the child is carefully examined by pediatricians, they study not only breathing, heart rate, but also the condition of the baby's skin, as well as the location of its folds on the lower extremities. On both legs of the child, folds, inguinal and knee) should be a reflection of each other or continue one horizontal line. Otherwise, we are talking about a congenital disease - underdevelopment of the hip joint. To accurately determine the cause of the disease, the baby is placed on the tummy, his legs are straightened. If the length of the child's legs is the same, then there is not enough reason for concern, it takes time for the situation to even out. If the legs are different in size, the baby cannot spread them apart, and if this happens, a click is heard inside the joint - one can judge the beginning of an orthopedic deviation.
Parents should contact a specialist immediately. This does not mean that he will immediately diagnose you with dysplasia, it is quite possible that the different length of the legs is partly due to muscle cramps, and the musculoskeletal system has nothing to do with it. But a doctor's consultation is necessary for prevention: if the legs are not in order, and the defect is detected too late, the child will limp, and his ability to move will be very limited. An x-ray helps determine the exact diagnosis. A child should receive consultations from an orthopedist up to a year three times: at 1 month, at 3 months and at 6 months.
Unsymmetrical folds on the legs, which are identified at the earliest stages, can be leveled and allow the baby to be full and learn to walk correctly.
How to determine the symmetry of the folds at home
- If the baby has more serious health problems (confused breathing, abnormal heart rhythm), the doctor may not immediately pay attention to the symmetry of the folds. Yes, and healthy babies do not always get 100% specialist attention, so you can start exploring your newborn yourself.
- To begin with, put it on the table with your back, bend the legs at the knees at a right angle, then try to gently stretch the legs by substituting a book or any other object with a flat surface under them. Check the length of both legs. Repeat the same when you turn the baby on his stomach, try not to cause discomfort and pain to the newborn with awkward movements.
- Follow the sensations of the baby, listen for clicks. If the baby is sick, his folds will not only be uneven and asymmetrical, they will have different depths.
Causes of deviations in the work of the musculoskeletal system
Dysplasia occurs in utero. The elements of the pelvis - the bone-cartilage base, the ligamentous-capsular and muscular apparatus do not develop together, but in leaps and bounds. According to statistics, girls have dysplasia 3 times more often than boys. In some cases, hip dislocation in a newborn is due to his breech presentation. Therefore, after giving birth, immediately examine your baby, even a defect at first glance looks cosmetic.
How to take care of baby's folds
Folds on the legs of the child under the knees and in the groove require that the mother skillfully handle them. Hygiene is simple: the baby is usually washed with soap, if the skin is dry, then each fold, previously wiped dry with a towel, should be lubricated with any kind of baby cream or oil and let the baby be naked. If you are afraid that the baby may become infected and get a skin infection, you can treat his folds with boiled olive or sunflower oil, petroleum jelly, which will not cause allergies.
At birth, the structure in an infant is immature. There is excessive elasticity of the articular ligaments. The joint and periarticular ligaments are finally formed only by the age of one.
But if in some babies the joint develops normally and at a certain time, then in others there is a slowdown in development. This is also called joint immaturity. A symptom of such a borderline state between the norm and pathology may be the asymmetry of the folds.
The immaturity of the joint can later turn into a developmental disorder, that is, into dysplasia. That is why it is so important not to delay the visit to the doctor, to establish a diagnosis in a timely manner and start treatment.
In the diagnosis of this disease, there are very few clear criteria. In order to confirm or exclude the diagnosis, ultrasound or even x-rays are required. But there are a number of symptoms that a mother can see:
- asymmetry of the gluteal, popliteal or inguinal folds;
- if you bend the legs at the knee and hip joints, then one knee is higher than the other;
- there is a limitation when abducting the hip to the side.
If your baby has at least one of these symptoms, then be sure to hurry to the orthopedist.
Prevention and treatment
Why dysplasia occurs is not fully understood. But it is believed that the risk of its occurrence increases with the genetic predisposition and pathology of pregnancy. The cause may be a large fetus, first birth, breech presentation.
For prevention, as well as in case of immaturity of the hip joint, simple methods are enough. Wide swaddling, massage and special exercises are prescribed.
Dysplasia can be detected already in the first month of life. In this case, the treatment gives a positive effect in a short time. After a few months, the joint restores its functions, even if there were serious deviations from the norm.
But there are times when the disease does not manifest itself until three or even six months. It can be provoked by improper care, in particular tight swaddling. Therefore, never swaddle your baby's legs tightly. Thus, you limit their mobility and fix the joint in the wrong position.
The earlier the disease is detected, the easier it is to deal with it. Therefore, do not neglect the mandatory orthopedic examinations, which are assigned to babies at the 1st, 3rd and 6th months. And if your baby's diagnosis of dysplasia was confirmed, do not despair. Timely treatment will completely save the baby from serious problems in the future.
Before you get an extract from the hospital, a woman must learn how to properly care for a child. Junior medical staff and a neonatologist will help her with this. Particular attention should be paid to caring for the navel area and cleansing the ears and nose. Asymmetric folds on the legs of the baby are detected by bending the limb. Parents should pay attention to the area of the knees and groin. If there are abnormalities in the child, dysplasia is suspected. That is why asymmetry should be monitored even after the baby is discharged from the hospital.
Causes
If the child's limbs are not symmetrical, then this will be detected even in the maternity hospital. This situation is observed in case of insufficient development hip joints. To diagnose it, babies are placed on their tummy and try to straighten their legs as much as possible. In this case, attention is primarily drawn to the length of the limb. The asymmetry of the folds indicates the pathology of the development of the child inside the womb.
The clinical picture in infants is considered aggravated if tension is felt when trying to spread the limbs. Additionally, a characteristic click can be heard in the legs.
It is possible to solve an orthopedic problem in newborns only if you contact a specialist in a timely manner. Otherwise, dysplasia will only get worse, leading to walking problems. In the future, the baby develops lameness, which will remain for life.
If there is asymmetry in the gluteal folds, you should contact an orthopedist
During the first year of life, the child must visit him at least three times. For this, 1, 3 and 6 months of a child's life are selected. If necessary, you will need to hear the authoritative opinion of the commission. Its members will carefully study the folds and length of the limbs. The dynamics of the development of the overall picture is also taken into account. Diagnosis of dysplasia in children can be based on an analysis of the presence of other symptoms:
- Different length of the limbs occurs in the case of periodic occurrence of seizures. They negatively affect muscle tone, so the position of the folds is disturbed. As a result, there are clear changes in symmetry.
- There are also cases when the asymmetry of the folds is considered a congenital feature of the child. The situation is not affected by the position of the hip joint. However, a final conclusion can only be made on the basis of the X-ray results.
Diagnostic methods at home
Parents should be attentive to their child and periodically perform a special examination:
- With a detailed study of the folds on the legs, you can see the lack of symmetry in the area of the knees and groin.
- When trying to reduce the legs, different states of folds on the limbs are obtained.
- Deeper folds are observed on one leg.
- If mommy tries to put the baby on her tummy, then he immediately begins to act up. In addition, he wants to change his posture as quickly as possible.
Actions of parents
Don't panic when you find irregular shape or the depth of the folds. In the diagnosis of dysplasia, there is nothing to worry about if you seek help from a specialist in time. Parents should carefully listen to his recommendations and follow them in the future. The course of treatment is selected depending on the individual case.
However, there are also general options:
- Massage and electrophoresis help to quickly and effectively get rid of hypertonicity. The duration of the course and the intensity of exposure is determined by the neurologist. Parents will be able to see a positive result after just a ten-day course.
- As a result of the examination, violations may not be detected. In this case, different folds may be against the background of the individual characteristics of the child's body. In this case, no treatment is needed. However, massage can help improve your health. Thanks to him, the bones and muscles will form correctly.
- If dysplasia is confirmed, the orthopedist will be able to choose the right course of treatment. It is important that he also controls every step of it.
Therapeutic measures
If the disease develops in a mild form, then the child needs to attend a massage. Thanks to him, it will be possible to reduce muscle hypertonicity several times. The norm is noted only if the nodes begin to function correctly. The doctor examines the little patient in detail and prescribes the number of sessions. They will help once and for all get rid of the pathology, which negatively affects the gait of the child.
If the folds are uneven, then in some cases Freik's tires or Pavlik's stirrups will help get rid of the disease. With their help, it will be possible to fix the lower limbs in the required position. At the first stage of treatment, you only need to slightly spread the legs and bend them slightly. Parents should understand that it is important to diagnose the disease as early as possible. In this case, you can proceed to treatment, which is guaranteed to give an excellent result. The baby will be able to continue proper growth and development.
Special splint for the treatment of dysplasia in infants
Preventive actions
Scientists have documented cases when a child's joint was set on its own as it grew older. However, this can also be achieved by regularly being in a position that promotes reduction. If necessary, the orthopedist prescribes additional actions that speed up the healing process.
Doctors note that self-reduction is observed only in children under three months. Parents should not swaddle them tightly. Otherwise, the risk of harm to health increases. Swaddling must be done in a special way. To do this, a thick diaper is threaded between the legs, which will require a second sample to secure.
As a preventive measure against dysplasia, parents should do special exercises with their child every day. It includes circular movements of the legs and pelvis. During this period of development, the child's bones are flexible, so reduction can occur on its own. In this case, parents can completely forget about a difficult diagnosis.
If dysplasia was not diagnosed before the age of three months, then the likelihood of its self-reduction increases. Parents are advised to resort only to free swaddling methods. Gymnastics also has a positive effect. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to visit the office every three months for the first six months of life. Thanks to this, it will be possible to identify pathology at the first stage of development. The sooner this happens, the greater the likelihood of achieving a positive result in a short time. If dysplasia is not treated, then the crumbs may have problems with sitting and walking.
After the birth of a newborn, he is examined by specialists right in the maternity hospital. They pay attention not only to the work of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, but also to the condition of the skin, to the symmetry of the folds of the lower extremities. Normally, the knee and inguinal folds should be at the same level, otherwise the child may have dysplasia (underdevelopment) of the hip joint.
How to determine the asymmetry of the folds?
Parents themselves can determine the asymmetry of the folds in the baby. Undress the child, lay him on his stomach and mentally draw lines along his spine. If everything is in order, then both halves will be almost the same.
Pay attention to the folds under the buttocks. To do this, press the legs of the baby to each other. The folds under the buttocks should be symmetrical. If this is not the case, then specialist advice is required.
Main reasons
Having found asymmetrical folds on your child’s legs, you should not immediately panic, perhaps this is just an anatomical feature and the baby has no pathology. But still it is worth showing the child to a specialist. It is better to spend a few hours on an additional examination than years on the treatment of an advanced disease.
Quite often, the folds in infants are not the same due to hypertonicity. In this case, a consultation with a neurologist is necessary, especially if you notice a chin tremor in your baby.
Usually, with increased muscle tone, massage, physiotherapy exercises, electrophoresis with drugs (for example, with aminophylline, papaverine, dibazol, magnesium sulfate), paraffin wraps are prescribed. With increased tone, aromatherapy and a visit to the sensory room will be useful. Asymmetrical folds can be a sign dysplasia. Especially if, in addition to unequal folds, the child has the following symptoms:
- One leg is shorter than the other.
- His legs are hard to get apart.
- There is an extra fold on the thigh.
- When the child's lower limbs move, a click is heard.
To determine the length of the lower limbs, the baby is placed on its back and the legs are bent at the knees at an angle 90 degrees. Then, slowly, they are pulled out, substituting some object with a flat surface under them, such as a book.
To determine the mobility of the joints, the baby is laid out on the stomach, one of their hands is placed on his buttocks, with the other hand they take him by the left knee, bend the leg in the thigh and gently turn the knee to the left. The lower limb of the baby should be easily retracted to the side. The same manipulations must be carried out with the right leg and the movement of both limbs is compared.
Having found any of these signs, parents should immediately contact a specialist, since the child may have dysplasia. It can be determined with an x-ray. Dysplasia is more common in girls than in boys.
If a newborn is born ahead of time or he had some kind of birth injury, then the baby may be slightly behind in development, so such a check should be carried out when the child is 5 months old.
In order to identify pathology in the development of the musculoskeletal system, all one-month-old infants are prescribed a planned ultrasound of the hip joints. Also, children under one year old should be shown to an orthopedist. Babies undergo routine check-ups at the age of 1 and 6 months.
Do not delay with a scheduled examination, since the detected pathology in early age easier to treat. The task of parents carefully monitor the health of your baby, notice everything that is alarming and do not be shy to ask questions to a specialist.
What to do if the asymmetry is caused by dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is an underdevelopment characterized by abnormal development of connective tissues and increased mobility of the femoral head.If it was possible to diagnose the disease quite early, then everything can be corrected - it is important to consult an orthopedic surgeon immediately.
The essence of the treatment of dysplasia is to fix the head of the femur in the articular cavity so that it is overgrown with ligaments and no longer moves anywhere to the side.
You need to know that with dysplasia, the femoral head falls into place when the baby's lower limbs are bent and spread apart. If the child will always be in a diaper that is 2 sizes larger, and he will not let the baby bring his legs together, this is already a good prevention of the disease. Of course, if the case is not strongly launched.
At home, parents can do massage and gymnastics to be taught to the doctor. It will also help to carry the child in carriers, in which the child's legs will constantly be spread apart. In addition, you need to use wide swaddling: the upper limbs of the baby are fixed to the body, while the lower ones remain free.
In more severe cases, doctors recommend the use of special orthopedic products: Freik's pillow or Pavlik's stirrups. These devices allow you to keep the child's legs in the correct position: divorced and slightly bent. When dysplasia is detected, parents need to be patient, since therapy will be long and will give a positive result only if adults carefully follow the recommendations of the attending physician.
If asymmetric folds are found in a baby, parents should not make a diagnosis on their own, and even more so self-medicate. All this should be done only by a specialist.
Most young mothers begin to worry when they notice asymmetrical folds on the legs of the baby. Their fears can be understood, because such a phenomenon is one of the signs of dysplasia in a child. However, it is worth remembering that the lack of symmetry is not the only sign of pathology; moreover, the folds may differ for other reasons.
Leg creases in newborns
When the child turns one month old, he is supposed to undergo a medical examination. In addition to other doctors, the baby is also examined by an orthopedic doctor. His task is to determine the possible pathologies of the development of the crumbs at an early stage, since it is at this age that most pathologies can be easily corrected. The orthopedist looks at the folds located on the baby's legs. Ideally, there should be one fold on each buttock and 2 on the back of the thigh, in the absence of pathologies, they are symmetrical.
What does asymmetry say, reasons
Most parents, upon detecting asymmetry of the folds on the legs of the baby, immediately suspect that he has hip dysplasia. However, it should be remembered that this is not the main reason for this phenomenon in the crumbs of the first months of life. Asymmetrical folds can be located in the following situations:
- Increased muscle tone, or hypertonicity, is the main reason for this arrangement. It occurs due to the fact that the tone in one part of the body is stronger than in another. There is nothing terrible and dangerous in this, the problem is solved by conducting special massages. Usually, hypertonicity decreases after 3-4 months.
- Asymmetry may be associated with the characteristics of a particular little man, because each child is individual. If, according to the results of the examination, it is revealed that there are no violations in the structure of the hip joints, you should simply forget about the location of the folds and take it for granted. Of course, before you calm down, you should hear the opinions of a good specialist on this matter.
- Hip dysplasia also has such a symptom as asymmetry of the folds on the legs. But before making such a diagnosis, you should undergo an examination.
The exact cause of the violation of symmetry can only be identified by a doctor who has studied the results of the examination of the baby. Until this moment, it is not worth thinking up diagnoses and self-medicating, this can significantly aggravate the situation.
How to determine dysplasia in a newborn
Young parents, having learned about various pathologies, often begin to check their child for its presence. Hip dysplasia is no exception. What could be easier than to see the folds of the crumbs to make sure that everything is fine with him.
Symmetry is determined as follows: the child is placed on the tummy, his legs are straightened. No additional action is required, finding the folds at the same level indicates that everything is normal. If asymmetrical folds on the legs of the baby are found, you should not panic, you need to undergo an examination to confirm dysplasia. It includes the following:
- Visit to an orthopedic doctor. He will perform additional actions to refute or confirm suspicions of changes in the hip joints. Schedule an examination if necessary.
- Ultrasound of the hip joints of a child. The method is harmless, but it cannot give a complete picture of changes in the joint. Ultrasound can reveal abnormalities, which should be further considered in detail.
- Serious suspicion of dysplasia is the reason for an x-ray. Although this method is considered harmful to children, in such a situation it does not exceed the benefits of the examination.
The results of the examination are studied by an orthopedic doctor, after which he makes a diagnosis or refutes it. If in doubt, it is recommended to contact another specialist with a description of the ultrasound and X-ray images in order to be sure of the reliability of the diagnosis and the prescribed treatment.
What to do if the baby has asymmetrical folds on the legs
If you find asymmetrical folds on the legs of a child, you should not panic. Even if the examination reveals the presence of dysplasia, there is nothing wrong with this diagnosis, provided that you consult a doctor in a timely manner and follow all the recommendations. What to do with folds - depends on the situation:
- If the doctor confirms that the reason for the violation of symmetry lies in hypertonicity, the child should be recorded for massage and electrophoresis. These procedures are usually prescribed by a neurologist. Changes can occur after the first course, lasting 10 days.
- When all examinations have shown that there are no violations, one should think about the physiological characteristics of the child. This also happens, albeit rarely. In this case, you don’t need to do anything, if you really want to “treat” the baby, you can sign him up for a general strengthening massage, he definitely won’t hurt anyone.
- If dysplasia is diagnosed, treatment is prescribed by an orthopedist and is carried out under his constant supervision.
The first thing parents should do when a child has asymmetry of folds on the legs is to contact a specialist who will announce further actions.
Prevention and treatment of dysplasia
An interesting feature of the disease in children of the first months of life is that it is quite possible to self-reduce the joint. To do this, doctors recommend finding the child in the correct position, allowing you to set the femoral head without additional action. It is important that the child be with the legs apart as often as possible.
Self-management occurs especially often in children under the age of three months. Tight swaddling for children with dysplasia is strictly prohibited, and it is not welcome for healthy babies either. In the case of such a diagnosis, the baby needs special swaddling: a dense wide diaper is placed between the legs of the child, after which it is fixed with the help of the second.
In addition to the correct position of the legs, for the prevention and treatment of dysplasia, it is necessary to do gymnastics with the baby daily. It should include exercises that involve circular abducting movements of the legs in the hip joints. As long as the baby's bones are flexible enough, you can straighten the femoral head without any problems and forget about the diagnosis.
With a mild degree of dysplasia, diagnosed before the child reaches the age of three months, there is a high probability that the formation of the baby's hip joints will complete normally after free (wide) swaddling and regular therapeutic exercises.
It is necessary to visit an orthopedist immediately after birth (preferably right in the hospital), a month and three. This will reveal the pathology if it was missed in previous examinations. Early detection of dysplasia in a child gives a great chance that he will not have problems in the future associated with sitting, crawling and standing up.