The Hip Disorders Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and long-term follow-up for infants, children, teens and young adults with hip disorders. Patients come to CHOP from all over the country (and the world) to receive first-class care and concierge-level service from our renowned hip experts and support staff. 

Whether your child is a premature infant with a congenital hip deformity, a teen with a newly developed hip problem or a young adult with lingering effects of pediatric hip disease, our specially trained orthopedic team has the expertise and experience needed to produce the best outcomes. 

The best for your child 

Orthopedics at CHOP is consistently ranked among the best in the nation, again earning the No. 1 spot on the 2024-25 U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children's Hospitals.  

An expert team offering the most advanced treatment options 

• Our program is one of the largest and most comprehensive hip programs in the United States and beyond. Led by a core group of experienced orthopedic physicians and surgeons, our team has special expertise treating infants, children and adolescents with complex or refractory hip disorders that have not responded to standard treatments.
• All our hip surgeons have extensive training and experience in pediatric orthopedics. In addition, one of our program leaders, Wudbhav N. Sankar, MD, completed a second specialized fellowship in young adult hip preservation surgery. He is the only physician in the region performing certain specialized hip surgeries on adolescents and young adults and has been doing so since 2009.
• We offer more bracing and non-surgical treatment options for hip disorders than any other center in the U.S.
• When bracing doesn’t work – or when patients have conditions that require more intervention – we offer the safest and most advanced surgical procedures to address their underlying issues and properly align their hip joint. 

In addition to supporting families of younger children, we also offer support and treatment to older adolescents and young adults who have congenital or acquired hip disorders that may have begun in childhood. Our goal with older patients is to preserve the natural hip as long as possible – through continued monitoring and treatments to prevent progressive bone and cartilage damage – thus avoiding the need for a premature hip replacement.  

Our surgeons perform some of the most complex surgical procedures on pediatric, adolescent and young adult hips in the world – and have among the best outcomes for patients.  

We treat children with all types of hip disorders, including those that are part of a genetic syndrome or caused by trauma or injury. These conditions include acetabular dysplasia, avascular necrosis, cerebral palsy-related hip disorders, developmental dysplasia of the hip, hip cartilage (labral) tears, hip impingement, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and others. 

Ensuring the best possible outcomes and patient experience 

We offer several specialty services that have not only improved surgical outcomes for our younger infants, but also boost patient and family satisfaction, including: 

• Spinal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia for our youngest patients who don’t yet have fully developed lungs
• Experienced cast technicians to apply specialized casts needed to immobilize the patients’ hips, yet still allow diapering
• Standardized use of MRI after surgery to confirm blood flow to the hip is adequate for growth and healing
• A dedicated post-operative care plan that ensures consistency for all patients undergoing hip surgery 

Dedicated care coordination and support for families 

One of the driving factors behind our success in infantile hip dysplasia is our dedicated hip dysplasia nurse, Meg Morro, BSN, RN, who spends extra quality time with families – both when they are getting fit for their harness or brace, and when surgery is planned to prepare for the spica body cast. This kind of personalized support can only be offered at a center with a very high volume of patients.  

Advancing care through ongoing research 

CHOP is a national leader in pediatric and young adult hip research. Areas of active research include: 

• Development of novel imaging protocols for children’s hips
• Optimizing the management of slipped capital femoral epiphysis
• Understanding the natural history of mild childhood hip dysplasia
• Causes of hip problems in youth with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)
• The genetic factors responsible for pediatric hip disease 

In addition to the research being done at CHOP, our surgeons are key members of several multi-center research groups, including the International Perthes Study Group (IPSG), Global Hip Dysplasia Registry, Hip Hope Network, the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI) and the Academic Network of Conservational Hip Outcomes Research (ANCHOR). 

Get a second opinion with a national leader 

Our Hip Disorders Program is a go-to center for families near and far seeking care for their child with a complex hip problem. We commonly care for patients coming from out-of-state, and offer a complete gamut of non-surgical and surgical options. No matter where you live, we are here to help, with nurse navigators ready to help coordinate your family’s visit, testing and treatment. There are options for telehealth consultations in some areas, and radiographs can often be obtained and uploaded locally to minimize the number of trips necessary to Philadelphia.

Contact us today