Limping & Walking After Spica Cast the Uncomfortable Truth

Erin was a late diagnosis of hip dysplasia and she has had multiple surgeries, this post focus on walking after spica cast removal and what to expect once the spica cast has been removed.

Last Friday we spent the day in hospital as DDH still haunts our lives. Erin has been doing so well, her walking was really fluid and the limp was not noticeable. It all changed last week when Erin started complaining of knee pain and she started limping. Walking after a spica cast is a worrying time for all parents and this sudden change in her mobility was very concerning.

After attending an emergency doctors appointment to discuss Erin’s limping we were sent to the children’s ward where they could see the pain she was in. No-one really tells you what to expect after the spica cast comes off, there is often no normal with walking after spica cast. Some children walk quickly whilst others take their time.

It also depends on how long the child was in spica cast and of course their age. Erin was in spica for 24 long weeks and therefore was very weak after the spica was removed. It took Erin about six weeks before she was able to walk after spica cast.

I know the limp can remain for up to a year post pelvic osteotomy, but what concerns me is that the limp had gone and now it is back.

The staff on the children’s ward were fabulous with Erin as usual. She had bloods done (a task in itself with her chubby hands and nonexistent veins), X-rays and finally an ultrasound that all came back fine. We didn’t see her consultant as he was in theatre but an SHO was following his orders. After hanging around for hours one of the lovely nurses even managed to rustle up fish and chips for Erin as she was hungry! We finally left some 6 hours after arriving. I left feeling reassured but also reminded that DDH doesn’t just disappear.

One week on I now feel at a loss – I hope beyond hope that it is ‘just’ muscular. Thankfully she doesn’t seem in pain anymore, but more and more people are noticing the limp. It is becoming quite pronounced and I just have that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Today we got a letter as her surgeon wants to see her. I am frightened by what this means. I hope he is just wanting to reassure me, to tell me to calm down, give it time. Tell me to enjoy her newfound freedom and walking after spica and not dwell on the past. But my overactive imagination is already wondering if he saw something in the X-ray that isn’t so good. Did the SHO miss something? I have rung the hospital today but can’t get hold of the secretary I need.

I am desperate to know whether the consultant saw the Xrays last Friday as he was in theatre or if he has looked at them since and wants to see Erin because something is not right.

More waiting and still, the irony remains that this is mimicking the same chasing and appointments we were doing this time last year. Erin was diagnosed on September 16th and Erin first went into Spica in October ironically the same day as this appointment is scheduled for.

My gorgeous girl loves life and lives it well at the moment.  Although I don’t compare Erin to her peers in a ‘is she behind’ way it is still hard to see watch how much DDH holds her back.  We are so unprepared for what to expect after the spica cast comes off. 

I long to see her running, jumping and keeping up with her friends, not dropping to her knees to get in and out of doorways or holding on two walls when she is walking. Life and walking after spica cast is not always easy!

I find it so frustrating that there is so little advice and knowledge out there about DDH especially what to expect regarding walking after spica cast. I know lots of about spica care and the various operations but there is very little available about what to expect after treatment.

I hope my blog can answer some of those questions as we all watch how Erin copes over the next few years, we also recommend Cast Life for further reading on hip dysplasia.

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