Treating Complex Hip Disorders

The Hip Preservation Program at Cincinnati Children’s is dedicated to improving detection, diagnosis and treatment for complex hip disorders in infants through young adults up to age 45. Ranked in the top 5 in the U.S. for Orthopaedics, our team provides advanced care to patients from across the country and around the world.

Comprehensive Care for Hip Disorders

At the Hip Preservation Program at Cincinnati Children’s, we offer coordinated care of hip problems in patients ranging in age from newborn up to 45 years old. 

Our team of specialists has expertise in treating all hip conditions, whether congenital, developmental or post-traumatic in both children and adults.

Why Cincinnati Children’s?

Treatment for Newborns to Adults

Our Hip Preservation Program excels in the evaluation and treatment of congenital and developmental hip problems throughout the life of a child from newborns through young adults (up to 45 years of age). We are one of just a few hip programs that has the capacity and expertise to offer treatment from birth to adulthood. We often follow our young patients up through adulthood, and we also accept adults as new patients.

Choosing to undergo a major hip surgery is a big decision, whether it's a choice you're making for yourself or your child. You may want more than one expert's opinion. Our team offers in-person and remote second opinions for the full spectrum of hip disorders.

Focus on Hip Preservation

Our team is unique in that we treat all hip conditions from a hip preservation standpoint. That means we develop treatment plans that will relieve pain, maintain and/or return the function of the hip, and prevent or significantly delay the need for hip replacement.

For our patients at any age, we focus on monitoring and proactively treating the condition while keeping the future, long-term health of the hip at the forefront of all decisions.

Pioneering Treatment with Research

Our specialists participate in clinical research to better understand hip conditions and develop more effective treatment options. We also perform translational research, which focuses on taking what we learn in the lab and transitioning it to a patient’s care at the bedside.

Expert Physical Therapy Protocols

Physical therapy is key to recovering from orthopaedic surgery. We have developed physical therapy protocols specific to both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation that are tailored to an individual’s recovery and allow patients to accelerate their recovery as much as possible.

We continue to follow and care for patients into their 40s, which is different from most other pediatric providers. We take care of the hip regardless of age.

Patrick W. Whitlock, MD, PhD Co-Director, Hip Preservation Program