Correlation between muscle shortening and derangement of the hip joint in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

From clinical studies on hip derangement and measurement of muscle shortening around the hip joint in 244 patients with spastic cerebral palsy, we found that the incidence of subluxation was 17.0% and that of dislocation was 8.2%; there was no dislocation in ambulatory spastics and the incidence of hip derangement was high in non-ambulatory patients; significant shortening of the adductors was closely correlated with hip derangement; the combination of damaged flexors, hamstrings and adductors led to hip derangement; surgical intervention in the adductors, the flexors (particularly the iliopsoas muscle) and the hamstrings should be considered in the treatment of advanced hip derangement in patients with cerebral palsy.