Hip Dysplasia

Congenital Hip Dyspasia, (sometimes described as developmental Hip Dysplasia), is an abnormality of the ball of the thigh bone and the hip socket, so that the bone is not secure within the hip socket and the ligaments are often stretched and loose. It is sometimes obvious at birth when the hip is dislocated one leg appears longer than the other. If there are no obvious symptoms, diagnosis will only be made during a physical examination.  

A baby’s Hip Dysplasia may simply be observed or treated with a splint. However, surgery will be required in more severe cases.

Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce and prevent many future problems and permanent disability. If a diagnosis is made shortly after birth, treatment is likely to be easier and safer. Diagnosis when a baby is six months old or younger tends to result in very high prospects of successful treatment and excellent prognosis. Therefore a child should always be examined for Hip Dysplasia following birth and by any health practitioners reviewing the child up until the child starts to walk. If Hip Dysplasia is not detected at birth, it may go undetected until the child starts to walk, when there may have been deterioration and irreversible damage. Without prompt treatment the condition gradually worsens as the child becomes more active. Following delay in treatment, children can suffer from increased pain, disability and mobility problems, including difficulty in walking and climbing stairs. They may require additional hip replacement and revision operations and their condition may become progressively worse in the future. They may be left with a severe limp and leg length discrepancy and develop osteoarthritis at an early age. 

After treatment, careful long term follow up is necessary to check progress and also to check for recurrence of Hip Dysplasia and serious problems such as avascular necrosis (lack of blood supply to the head of femur).  

If you believe that you or your child may have suffered a worse injury as a result of delay in diagnosis and treatment of Hip Dysplasia, you may be able to claim damages if the delay was caused by medical negligence. Alternatively, there may be a claim if it can be established that the treatment was substandard and that this has resulted in a less favourable outcome.

Our team of dedicated expert specialist medical negligence and birth injury solicitors have many years of experience in handling high value birth injury compensation claims including hip injury and hip dysplasia compensation claims. It is important that your claim is dealt with by specialist medical negligence lawyers, as these claims are usually complex and high value. For example, we have recently settled a case involving delay in diagnosis and treatment of a hip condition for compensation of several hundred thousand pounds.  We specialise solely in complex clinical and medical negligence claims, have an excellent record and have the expertise to obtain the maximum amount of damages to compensate and provide for your child’s future and to support you and your family through the process. 

Compensation can include damages for the injury, for past care and assistance, costs of future care and assistance, anticipated loss of earnings, reduced earning capacity, additional travel costs and other expenses, accommodation if required and adaptations to accommodation, aids and equipment, costs of any recommended surgical and medical treatment, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and orthotics. 

Our team is led by Tony May, a specialist birth injury solicitor with an excellent record and with over 20 years experience and expertise in dealing with cerebral palsy claims, Erb’s palsy claims and other birth  injury compensation cases, many resulting in multi-million pound settlements. 

Tony can be contacted by email on anthonymay@chadlaw.co.uk or by telephone on 01484 519999. Alternatively, you could call our team on the freephone number below.

We are members of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel and Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA). We are also one of only a select number of solicitors’ practices accredited by the Legal Aid Agency and the Law Society to handle medical negligence claims. We are therefore authorised to deal with medical negligence investigations funded by Legal Aid. If you are not eligible for Legal Aid, Conditional Fee Agreement funding (also known as “No Win No Fee”) may be available. 

We deal with claims countrywide. We are based at our Huddersfield office but can visit you in your home or in hospital if you are unable to attend at one of our West Yorkshire offices. If you or a member of your family may have sustained a birth injury as a result of medical negligence and/or negligence by a midwife, please contact our specialist medical negligence Legal Aid and no-win-no-fee lawyers. Initial advice is always free, whether in person, on the telephone or by e-mail. 

Contact Chadwick Lawrence for free legal advice on FREE PHONE  0800 028 2969 or email: anthonymay@chadlaw.co.uk