Q: My baby was born with a congenital hyper-extension of the knee of her left leg. It was corrected by putting bandage. They cemented it for 6 weeks to correct it. Recently, I found that the left leg was smaller as compared to the right. I informed the doctors about the same. They said that it is congenital dislocation of the hip. They forcefully moved the bone to the socket and plastered without operating. They told me to take care for 6 months. But they also said that the bone may or may not get into the socket. Is it possible that if we take care for 6 six months, then also it needs operation. What are the pros and cons of this? Will my baby be able to walk properly after doing this?

A:I do not know the age of your baby. Roughly speaking, all congenitally dislocated hips do very well after putting them into their socket in the 1st month of life; do well with the same between 1-6 months of age; but would require surgery to achieve the same result after 6 months of age. Any specific opinion is only appropriate after examining and assessing the child.