A medical complication in newborn babies that can lead to life-changing conditions could soon be diagnosed earlier, thanks to the latest product from Limbs & Things, the Bristol-based firm that makes specialist medical training equipment.
Developmental hip dysplasia – commonly known as clicky hip – affects around one or two babies in every thousand. 
Without early treatment it can lead to mobility problems such as a limp, pain and osteoarthritis of the hip and back.
However, with early diagnosis and treatment, children are less likely to need surgery and more likely to develop normally.
Limbs & Things, which makes a wide range of pioneering medical task trainers at its St Philips factory, including lifelike birthing models that imitate labour and delivery, has designed its infant hip exam trainer to meet the needs of healthcare professionals training to identify and diagnose hip dysplasia.
The lifelike simulation model comes with two interchangeable lower leg parts that allow medical trainees to identify the differences between how a normal and an abnormal hip should feel.
The lower abnormal hip module’s range of motion gives trainees a realistic representation of the key signs of hip dysplasia, including dislocating a hip that is lax in the socket and relocating a hip that is dislocated from the socket, feeling the ‘clunk’ as the procedure is completed. 
A lifelike infant torso, weighted and sized for a one-month-old girl, is included in the trainer, which means that trainees can get comfortable conducting a hip exam with a realistic model.
The model’s durability also means that they can repeatedly practice the procedures, helping them build confidence and develop muscle memory for the techniques involved, before performing the examination on a patient.
Limbs & Things commercial director Anne Allin said: “Hip dyplasia is a fairly common issue among newborns that can lead to long-term problems if left undiagnosed.
“We worked in partnership with specialists in America to develop this trainer, which we believe will give healthcare professionals the confidence and skills to detect hip dysplasia at the earliest possible stage, giving the child the best possible outcome.”
Queen’s Award-winning Limbs & Things was launched in 1990 by medical illustrator Margot Cooper to meet a need for new ways of gaining clinical skills by medical professions.
Today it employs around 200 people, has offices in the US, Australia and Europe as well as the UK and exports its products to more than 40 countries worldwide. Its products are used by specialists around the globe to address medical scenarios from routine examinations to emergency interventions.
Among them is its market-leading PROMPT Flex range of birthing simulators, which contribute daily to improving outcomes across the world for both mothers and babies.
