Hip Disorders in Infants and Children

Abstract

This potpourri of information on childhood hip disorders is well organized and presented in a very readable fashion. The discussion of hip joint anatomy, growth and development, and biomechanical considerations are well covered in more detail than most medical students, pediatricians, and family practitioners require. The author has done independent research on femoral head blood supply in children and explains why the femoral head is at risk for avascular necrosis. He tells us why shear stress is important and how the perichondrial complex assumes a contributory role in slipped capital femoral epiphysis. There is a brief discussion of the normal and pathologic gait in childhood. There is an excellent review of the physical examination, with diagrams detailing how to do the examinations and with normal values of hip joint motion given in table form. Examination of the newborn, with emphasis on the joint range of motion tests, Barlow's test for