At Scottish Rite, our Hip experts and their team members specialize in diagnosing and treating hip conditions in children and teens. Families travel from across the country for our advanced, research-driven treatment options that support thoughtful, personalized care for every child.
Our Approach to Hip Care
Hip pain and discomfort is often quite common as kids grow. Sometimes hip pain and other symptoms are due to too much or too little activity. Other times, it is caused by conditions like hip dysplasia or hip impingement.
At Scottish Rite, our team’s goal is to help your child return to their active lifestyle as soon as possible. We understand that hip pain can affect more than your child’s movement. It can also impact their confidence, independence and ability to participate in school or activities they enjoy.
Our experts can get to the root of your child’s hip problems. We’ll work with you and your child to provide treatment options that support your child’s comfort, strength and long-term joint health.
We’ll tailor your child’s care plan around their:
- Diagnosis, symptoms and medical needs
- Age and stage of development
- Temperament and personality
- Preferences and comfort level
- Activity level and goals
- Therapy and rehabilitation needs
Leaders in Hip Care
Our nationally renowned researchers in the Center of Excellence in Hip advance leading-edge treatments for common and complex hip conditions. This includes developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in babies, hip dysplasia and hip impingement in adolescents and Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. They have developed protocols used nationwide to treat a wide range of hip conditions in kids of all ages.
These protocols focus on using the most minimally invasive approaches possible to:
- Improve movement and reduce pain
- Lower the risk for complications
- Protect long-term growth and development
- Help your child return to activities they love
- Allow your child to gain independence and confidence
- Improve their quality of life
What to Expect for Hip Care
Whether your family lives nearby or travels for care, we will make sure your first visit makes the most of your time. Your child’s appointment will typically last 30 minutes to an hour.
During your visit, your child’s hip care expert will:
- Evaluate your child’s condition, symptoms and health history
- Perform a thorough physical exam
- Review treatment options
- Answer your questions
- Discuss next steps
- Recommend additional testing, when needed
We also offer on-site imaging and diagnostic testing, including hip ultrasound for infants and advanced hip imaging for older children and teens. Whenever possible, we try to get your child in for these services the same day as their hip care appointments.
You may also meet with multiple specialists during a single appointment. Depending on your child’s needs, this could include physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and others.
Hip Services & Treatments
Our Hip Care team offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment options in one place.
- Physical therapy: Builds strength, improves mobility and supports recovery through personalized exercise and movement plans.
- Pavlik harness treatment: A soft splint that is one of the most effective treatments for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in babies.
- Advanced bracing options: Helps guide hip development or provide support while healing, often allowing children to avoid or delay surgery.
- Gait analysis: Evaluates how your child walks to identify movement patterns that may contribute to pain or imbalance.
- Point-of-care ultrasound and injections: Allows specialists to diagnose pain sources and deliver targeted treatment during the same visit.
- Surgical hip reconstruction: Addresses complex hip conditions when nonsurgical options are no longer effective.
- Sports medicine rehabilitation: Helps teens safely return to sports and daily activities while protecting long-term joint health.
- Intraoperative CT imaging: Provides real-time imaging during surgery to support precision and improve surgical outcomes when surgery is needed.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Offers detailed views of bones, cartilage and soft tissues to support accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Perfusion MRI for Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and other avascular necrosis: Measures blood flow to the hip, helping physicians understand disease severity and guide treatment decisions.
Why Choose Us?
National expertise in pediatric hip care: As a leading pediatric orthopedic children hospital, Scottish Rite is a top destination for children with complex hip conditions. Our physicians treat a high volume of conditions like developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), Perthes disease and avascular necrosis. They provide answers, second opinions and advanced options when other treatments have not worked.
Research that shapes care: Our approach to hip care is guided by research developed at Scottish Rite. Our physicians contribute to leading publications, define national treatment protocols and train future hip specialists.
Recognized excellence in hip innovation: Our hip care services have earned national awards and competitive research grants for advancing pediatric hip care. This recognition supports continued innovation and gives your child access to highly specialized expertise.
Hip Research Spotlight
Our hip providers and researchers lead and participate in research that is looking for new ways to treat hip conditions in children. Our current studies include:
- International Perthes Study Group: This multicenter study involves more than 40 participating institutions across the country. The purpose is to compare the outcome of Perthes disease treatment methods for three different age groups.
- Prospective Infantile Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) Registry: This study evaluates babies younger than 1 year who are referred for DDH-related hip abnormalities. The goal is to determine optimal methods of evaluation and treatment.
- Prospective Evaluation of Hip Preservation: This study examines the radiographic, clinical and functional outcomes of hip preservation surgery in adolescents and young adults.
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You can get started with care at Scottish Rite in several ways.
Many children are referred to us from their pediatrician or another specialist. You can also contact us directly to schedule an appointment by calling 215-559-8670.
Our scheduling team will help determine next steps and coordinate care based on your child’s needs.
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Appointment timing depends on your child’s condition and urgency.
Our team works to schedule visits as efficiently as possible, especially for families traveling from outside the local area. When needed, imaging and specialist consultations are coordinated to make the most of each visit.
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If available, please bring medical records, imaging and a list of current medications.
You may also want to bring school or activity-related paperwork, along with comfort items to put your child at ease during the visit.
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Hip appointments are offered at Scottish Rite’s locations in both Dallas and Frisco.
Our scheduling team will help determine the most appropriate location for your child’s visit.
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Often, yes. Our Hip team takes a multidisciplinary approach to care. This means your child’s care team may include pediatric orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians, psychologists, physical therapists and imaging specialists. They all work together to create a coordinated care plan.
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Families come to Scottish Rite when they need expert care for complex hip conditions.
Our team focuses on accurate diagnosis, clear explanations and personalized recommendations to support confident decision-making.
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Many families seek care at Scottish Rite after treatment elsewhere has not been effective.
Our specialists regularly work with families who need additional opinions or advanced care. They can help guide next steps based on each child’s situation.
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Some hip conditions require monitoring over time, especially as children grow.
Follow-up care is personalized and may include return visits, therapy or coordination with providers closer to home, depending on your child’s needs.
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Our team understands the needs of families traveling from outside the area. We coordinate appointments to reduce repeat visits when possible, and we can help you make housing accommodations for long-term stays.
