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Legs held aloft whereas softly sleeping or watching a programme on a pill in her cot, charming Athena Phillips makes the arduous means of traction seem like kid’s play.
The little lady was born with a extreme hip dysfunction that will have left her unable to stroll with out therapy.
Now, aged eight – and after the traction, two operations and a wide range of uncommon casts to assist her heal – she’s a bit of dynamo who loves tearing round at house and sport.
Her mom, Alexa Phillips, mentioned: ‘You are worried a lot the entire means by being pregnant, so when one thing occurs it blindsides you. Athena’s situation was excessive and it isn’t that frequent to have an effect on each hips.
‘When she took her first steps it was some of the lovely issues I’ve ever seen. It was breathtaking.’
Athena Phillips was born with a extreme hip dysfunction that will have left her unable to stroll with out therapy
Athena’s mom, Alexa, has written a e book, Athena’s Magic Trousers, to assist different kids recognized with the situation and their households
Athena was a day outdated in April 2015 when a bodily examination at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire revealed a slight click on in one in all her hips.
Additional checks confirmed she had probably the most extreme type of developmental dysplasia, a congenital situation the place the socket of the hip is simply too shallow to carry the ball-shaped head of the femur in place, stopping the leg from growing correctly.
The situation is extreme sufficient in a single in 1,000 newborns to require surgical procedure. However having it in each hips happens simply as soon as in each 10,000 births.
Athena was referred to College Hospital Southampton, a world centre of excellence for hip dysplasia, as with out therapy she would have grown up in growing ache, hampered by a heavy limp and combating any bodily exercise or sport.
‘It is fairly stunning for any mum in that scenario however the employees have been very supportive,’ mentioned Mrs Phillips, an English trainer from Ringwood, Hampshire.
Initially, medical doctors determined to make use of a Pavlik harness, a sort of soppy splint that retains the hips and knees bent and the thighs unfold aside.
However after ten days she suffered a femoral nerve palsy, an especially uncommon occasion the place the nerve will get trapped, inflicting lack of motion.
The harness therapy needed to be stopped and the choice was made to function – though every leg must be handled individually.
Earlier than the procedures, Athena frolicked in traction, together with her legs secured within the air at a 90-degree angle for seven days.
Athena mentioned: ‘I am actually comfortable that kids will get to learn my e book. I need it to assist them not be fearful. I hope their magic trousers work like mine did’
Developmental dysplasia is a uncommon situation the place the socket of the hip is simply too shallow to carry the ball-shaped head of the femur in place, stopping the leg from growing correctly
Docs determined to make use of a Pavlik harness, a sort of soppy splint that retains the hips and knees bent and the thighs unfold aside
This relaxed the leg muscle tissues and pulled them into a greater place for surgical procedure, as that they had been distorted by the hip dislocations.
‘The surgeons referred to it as gallows traction, which sounds a bit of scary. I most popular to name her my ‘trapeze child’,’ mentioned Mrs Phillips, 40.
Athena had her first operation on March 3, 2016 – a two-hour process throughout which an incision was made in the suitable hip to open the joint and permit the ball of the hip to suit again into the socket.
She was then positioned in a spica forged that covers each legs, the waist and stomach to safe the recovering joint in the suitable place and have become often known as ‘Athena’s magic trousers’.
The forged needed to be eliminated below one other basic anaesthetic on April 19 and Athena was capable of rejoice her first birthday two days afterwards earlier than having the process on her left leg on Could 3, following by one other stint in a spica forged.
This was eliminated on June 14 and changed with a ‘broomstick’ forged, once more to maintain the legs aside and as motionless as doable to assist therapeutic.
Athena had her first operation in March 3, 2016, a process throughout which an incision was made in the suitable hip to open the joint and permit the ball of the hip to suit again into the socket
‘It was a fully blinding transformation. Now Athena liked paddleboarding, tree climbing, wall climbing – she’s so bodily,’ mentioned Athena’s mom
The forged was taken off on July 19 and Athena delivered a belated Christmas current on December 31 that yr when she took her first steps.
‘It was a fully blinding transformation. Now Athena liked paddleboarding, tree climbing, wall climbing – she’s so bodily,’ mentioned mother-of-one Mrs Phillips.
‘She’s been capable of turn out to be who she was meant to be due to the freedoms the surgeons introduced her.’
The course of therapy was led by guide paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Mr Alex Aarvold, who joined College Hospital Southampton NHS Basis Belief the yr Harry Potter fan Athena – who calls him ‘cleverer than Dumbledore’ – was born.
He mentioned: ‘Athena is doing brilliantly and it’s such a pleasure to see her charging round usually.
‘With out this therapy, she can be limping, getting worsening ache and be restricted in all these actions that she now excels at.’
Athena continues to have annual checks however seems set to reside life to the total.
Mrs Phillips – who has written a e book, Athena’s Magic Trousers, to assist different kids recognized with the situation and their households – added: ‘My recommendation to different dad and mom is that the whole lot’s going to be okay. Belief within the [medical] staff as a result of they have you and your child. Belief within the course of.’
Athena added: ‘I am actually comfortable that kids will get to learn my e book. I need it to assist them not be fearful. I hope their magic trousers work like mine did.’
