Our Treatment Approach

Treatments for hip disorders are extremely complex and can vary dramatically depending on where you go for treatment and the doctor you choose. 

Within the Cincinnati Children’s Hip Preservation Program, our primary goal with all of our treatments is to preserve the hip joint as best we can. We work together—with other care team members and with you—to come up with a treatment plan that is designed to produce the best outcomes for each patient’s individual needs.

When you visit us, our care team members will evaluate you during a clinical exam. These clinical evaluations are often supplemented with the latest diagnostic techniques, including ultrasound, conventional X-ray, arthrography, bone scan, CT scan and MRI.

Early Detection and Diagnosis

Early detection often provides the possibility for more conservative treatment options, such as bracing, and can help avoid or delay surgery.

Delayed diagnosis can lead to complications later in life such as pain, disability, decreased surgical options, and the potential need for early hip replacement.

Hip Preservation

Preserving the hip means that we use approaches in our treatment plans that aim to prevent or delay the development or advancement of hip problems as much as possible. Our focus is to preserve the hip in order to maintain function of the hip, reduce or prevent pain, and prevent or significantly delay hip replacement. We want you or your child to be able to return to normal activities of daily living without pain.

Some treatments focus on correcting hip conditions using surgery early on. In our program, we have found that preserving the natural hip joint as much as possible may lead to better outcomes and can delay or eliminate the need for hip replacement at a later age.

Hip preservation serves as the focus of lifelong treatment, support and care. Without treatment, many hip conditions will result in increased pain and loss of function in the hip. Even with treatment, many hip diseases risk that outcome. Preserving the hip early on helps give you the best possibility of long-term hip health.

Treatment Options

Treatments for hip disorders can be extremely complex. There is not one right method that works for every patient. Rather, our Hip Preservation team works together to form a strategy that will be the most effective treatment for you or your child.

We address every patient’s unique needs when developing a treatment plan. To determine the best course of treatment, we carefully look at a number of factors, including the following:

• Age of onset
• Type and severity of the condition
• Location of the condition
• Activity level of the patient
• Patient expectations

We have a variety of promising treatments to choose from. Our team will help your family understand your options and what might work best for your child. Treatment options include:

Non-Surgical Options

• Observation. Your care team may choose to closely observe you or your child for a period of time if an intervention is not yet necessary
• Activity restrictions. Limiting certain activities, such as high-impact sports, is often necessary during the healing process.
• Medications. Anti-inflammatory medicines are commonly used to treat hip pain that is mild to moderate.
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is an important part of managing hip pain. It is used to strengthen muscles, maintain range of motion, increase flexibility, and reduce inflammation of the hip joint.
• Steroid injections. These are sometimes prescribed to help relieve pain.
• Bracing/casting. These methods are used primarily for treating developmental dysplasia of the hip.
• Pavlik harness. This brace is most often used for babies who have hip dysplasia. The harness keeps the hips and knees bent and thighs spread apart, to help allow the hips to grow properly.

Surgical Options 

• Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO)
• Surgical hip dislocation
• Labral repair
• Femoral osteoplasty
• Triple osteotomy
• Femoral osteotomy
• Arthroscopy
• Closed and open reduction

Recovery from a hip procedure can be lengthy. We are dedicated to helping our patients have healthy recoveries. Our goal is to get you back to a normal activity level while still focusing on long-term hip preservation and follow-up care.