The hip in cerebral palsy.

Orthopedic surgery can alleviate the hip flexion, adduction, and medial rotation deformities of the hip and improve the function and appearance of gait. To accomplish this, however, careful examination and prudence in the operative procedure to avoid overdoing and overcorrecting are important. Orthopedic surgery can prevent subluxation and dislocation of the hip before the age of seven years, and consequently repetitive radiographic examinations of the hip in children who have spastic paralysis of the hip musculature should be a routine procedure. Subluxation and dislocation of the hip, when established, can be successfully treated with orthopedic surgical procedures. Physicians must keep in mind that the spastic paralysis of cerebral palsy originates in the brain, and therefore the spasticity cannot be eliminated. The best that can be done is to weaken or remove some muscles as deforming forces and to achieve compromises for continued function. The goal should be optimal independence for the child and adolescent during development, and freedom from pain with deteriorating function due to degenerative arthritis in the adult.