The Harness

Elsie cries when we move her left leg.  Right off the bat it was evident that Elsie does NOT like her leg to be manipulated.   PFFD does not normally come with associated pain so the Dr. wasn't positive as to what was causing her discomfort.  The two guesses were 1) Femur Fracture or 2) Hip Dysplasia.  After an ultrasound when she was 1 week old we discovered that she does have hip dysplasia. 

Since the chances of having hip dysplasia and PFFD independent of each other is quite unlikely, the dysplasia is probably caused by either a improperly formed femur head, or an improperly formed hip.  Either way, we won't know exactly which one is the cause (or both) until her MRI.  As a comfort measure we have Elsie in a Pavlik Harness.  She's been in since 9 days old.  She'll be wearing it for a total of 6 weeks for 23 hours a day. 

Although it's a pain to maneuver around with diapers and clothing, it's been a blessing.  I can see a difference in her comfort.



Elsie in the harness at 9 days old