The Child Health BC Hip Surveillance Program started up at BC Children’s Hospital a year ago in an effort to reduce the incidents of hip dislocation in children with cerebral palsy.
Children with cerebral palsy are particularly susceptible to the problem because many spend a lot of time in wheelchairs and experience weakening of the muscles. Since the condition rarely causes pain until the hip is fully dislocated and irreparably damaged many children with cerebral palsy have to endure surgeries that cannot fully restore their motion or relieve their discomfort. The program,, the only one of its kind in North America, hopes to catch these children’s conditions early when treatment is less invasive and more effective.
Program coordinators count on community physiotherapists from all over the province to refer children at risk. They are then X-rayed, if recommended, in their own communities and the images are sent to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver where specialists determine the best course of action.
More information about the program can be found here.