Q: My nephew who is 2 days old is said to be having some sort of hip disorder. The doctors told us that his thigh bones do not have that firmness in the hip socket. It is not sticking out but it is not tight. He was delivered normally but facing up; could that have caused the problem as they said that the delivery would be harder due to that? My second question is that they also said that one of his testicles have not yet come down. Can you please give your suggestions.

A:What I gather from your question is that Hip joint of your nephew is partially dislocated or subluxatable. This should be evaluated by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Sometimes it may be normal due to lax tissues around the joint. But if the head of the femur bone is persistently out it needs to be tackled now other wise child may have problems later. Regarding one of the testicles not have descended. In babies born at 9 months both the testicles should have descended into the scrotum. But if this has not happened, one should make a note of it. Some times it may descend over next couple of months. If this does not happen, the testicle should be brought down surgically definitely by one year of age.