1 and a half year old baby walking unsteadily

Every change in the baby after birth is watched by the mother. Because many new mothers do not understand the baby's growth and development very well, sometimes their judgment of the baby's physical condition is not very accurate. From birth to adulthood, every day is very difficult for babies, and mothers worry about their babies growing up healthily. Many mothers have found that their one and a half year old babies walk unsteadily. Here I will tell you the reasons behind this.

Normal children can walk independently when they are about one year old, but children with developmental dysplasia of the hip may not be able to walk until they are one and a half years old, or they can walk with difficulty, with an unstable gait, staggering, swaying, and they are prone to falling. Developmental dislocation of the hip may be related to genetics, breech birth, leg binding, etc. It is a disease in which the femoral head and acetabulum are poorly aligned, which can cause unilateral or bilateral hip instability in patients. The incidence rate is about 1/1,000 to 3/1,000, and the incidence rate is higher in girls than in boys.

Once a child shows unsteady gait or sways to the side like a duck, has increased, deepened or asymmetrical skin wrinkles on the buttocks, inner thighs and popliteal fossa, widened perineum, limited hip joint movement and weak pedaling power, it may be developmental dislocation of the hip and the child needs to be taken to the hospital for examination immediately.

2. Why is the baby walking unsteadily at the age of one and a half: Developmental problems

Babies walk unsteadily and stumble because their muscles are not yet strong and their body balance has not yet developed well. Parents should not spoil their children all the time. They should let their children do more exercise and take their babies for walks outdoors more often.

Note: Parents also need to consider whether their baby may be deficient in calcium, zinc and vitamin D. If there is a lack of timely supplementation and appropriate sun exposure, the baby can be prevented from developing rickets and inversion.

1. Children under 6 months old

Generally, the treatment for infants under 6 months old is relatively simple. The lower limbs can be kept in a highly abducted position and gradually repositioned. A trapezoidal urine pillow, frog-style splint or Pavlik sling can be used to maintain the position for 3 to 4 months, and most infants can be cured.

2. Children aged 6 to 18 months

Children under 2 years old are treated conservatively, with manual reduction and hip arthrography performed under anesthesia to examine hip joint stability, whether there is filler in the acetabulum, whether the labrum is involuted, and the inclusion of the femoral head. Use hip-position plaster or brace for fixation for 2 to 4 months, then switch to abduction-position plaster or abduction brace for fixation for 4 months, and the therapeutic effect is quite satisfactory.

3. Children aged 18 months to 8 years

The failure rate of manual reduction in children is increased. Children in this age group generally require surgical reduction. Depending on the pathological changes, labral resection to deepen the acetabulum, pelvic osteotomy (salter), periacetabular osteotomy (pemberton), perisciatic notch osteotomy, pelvic osteotomy (chiari), acetabular deepening or acetabular plasty can be used, etc. These methods are aimed at deepening or adjusting the direction of the acetabulum.

In addition, subtrochanteric rotation osteotomy can be used to correct excessive anteversion, and adduction osteotomy can be used to correct hip valgus, both of which are beneficial for stabilizing the joint. In recent years, the age for surgery has been extended, but the therapeutic effect is not ideal for children over 8 years old. They are prone to hip stiffness, inability to tolerate long-distance walking, and waist and hip pain in the future.