Book Description

'My Clicky Hips' is a children's book about Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). It was written with young children in mind and uses simple text and pictures to communicate what it is like to have DDH from a child's perspective. It was written by Fiona Dickson, whose own daughter Emily has had treatment for DDH, initially with a pavlik harness when she was a baby and then surgery (closed and open reduction, femoral osteotomy) and orthopaedic physiotherapy. Most books about DDH are written for an adult audience and tend to focus on medical symptoms and treatments or care for a child going through treatment as a parent. This book was written especially for kids aged 2-10 years old (or old enough to appreciate a picture book). 'My Clicky Hips' conveys a positive message about DDH. It focuses on the story of Emily's DDH journey - from visiting a hip doctor (orthopaedic consultant), being diagnosed with DDH, preparing for, and having an operation in hospital, wearing a spica cast and life after her spica cast removal. It is hoped that the book can be used as an introduction to DDH and then referred to at different stages of a child's treatment. It is ideal for parents who want to explain DDH to their children in a simple way and can help answer many of the questions they may have about how their life might be impacted i.e. can I still see my friends? Can I go to the park? Can I go to nursery/school? What does it feel like to wear a spica cast? It also covers some of the difficult things to explain to children. For example, it describes what it is like to have many of the common DDH procedures i.e. x-ray, general anaesthetic, removing a spica cast. The book does not mention the various types of operations (i.e. open reduction, closed reduction, pelvic osteotomy, femoral osteotomy etc.) as this could be confusing or scary for young children. Instead, it concentrates on the facts about DDH and what cast life might be like.