Difference between revisions of "Hip helpers"

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'''Question''': Has anyone used hip helpers?  The site is http://www.hiphelpers.com. These are shorts that are designed for low tone kids and really cheap in price.
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I put this here because some families have found success using these and they are frequently used for children with Down's Syndrome. They can be made by handy sewing people or purchased at http://www.hiphelpers.com.
  
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'''Answer''' (from a pediatric physical therapist): I have been using them for children
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As I understand it, they are used to help pull in the child's legs and counter that froggy look that low tone kids have. They should be worn when the child is awake and moving. They can promote trunk rotation over the pelvis which is needed for eventual adequate weight shift in the trunk when walking. They should be worn tight enough to hold the hips shoulder-width apart without causing any red marks or constriction.
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with Down syndrome for a good while and also recommended them for a
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little girl with PWS once she began to start pushing up on elbows when on her stomach.
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We just tried hip helpers on my boy. He is 7 months and is still a bit froggy. He did great with the hip helpers. We opted for ones that are somewhat loose. They aren't in the least bit constricting but do seem to provide input through the hips, which I think he needs. He seemed to like the hip helpers and they seemed to make movement easier for him as opposed to more difficult.
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They should be worn when the child is awake and moving. They are designed
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to provide appropriate hip alignment, preventing widely spaced hips.  When
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In the hip helpers, he was able to roll over from his back to his stomach and keep his knees under him (in preparation for crawling??). Even if your child is just borderline froggy, they might be worth trying to see if he or she moves any differently or better in them.
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they are worn for movement such as tummy play, rolling, belly crawling,
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getting in and out of sitting, creeping on all fours they help promote trunk
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rotation over the pelvis which is needed for eventual adequate weight shift in
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the trunk when walking. Perhaps some of you have seen an older person with a
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diagnosis that includes low muscle tone (Down syndrome) that did not have the
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benefit of early intervention.  Their gait pattern is one of very little
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weight shift from one hip to the other because they never developed adequate
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trunk rotation and now walk with either a leaned forward posture or a waddle.
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Anyway, enough technicality, the point I am concerned about is that these
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should be tight enough to hold the hips in neutral alignment (shoulder-width
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apart) without causing any red marks or constriction. If they are rising up
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they may be too big in which case you could put them on over a pair of thick
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pants. I don't recommend putting a baby to bed with them on because of the
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constrictive nature of the spandex material.
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Latest revision as of 16:01, 19 January 2005

I put this here because some families have found success using these and they are frequently used for children with Down's Syndrome. They can be made by handy sewing people or purchased at http://www.hiphelpers.com.

As I understand it, they are used to help pull in the child's legs and counter that froggy look that low tone kids have. They should be worn when the child is awake and moving. They can promote trunk rotation over the pelvis which is needed for eventual adequate weight shift in the trunk when walking. They should be worn tight enough to hold the hips shoulder-width apart without causing any red marks or constriction.

We just tried hip helpers on my boy. He is 7 months and is still a bit froggy. He did great with the hip helpers. We opted for ones that are somewhat loose. They aren't in the least bit constricting but do seem to provide input through the hips, which I think he needs. He seemed to like the hip helpers and they seemed to make movement easier for him as opposed to more difficult.

In the hip helpers, he was able to roll over from his back to his stomach and keep his knees under him (in preparation for crawling??). Even if your child is just borderline froggy, they might be worth trying to see if he or she moves any differently or better in them.

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