Young girl born with severe hip disorder inspires new book to help other children with same condition

A little girl who spent the first two years of her life with her legs in a harness and casts after being born with a severe form of hip dysplasia is now living life to the max – thanks to experts at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).

Athena Phillips was just two weeks old when doctors discovered that she had the congenital condition which stops the ball and socket joints of the hip from developing properly.

Without treatment she would have grown up with worsening pain, limping and struggling with any physical activity and sport.

But thanks to doctors at UHS - a world centre of excellence for hip dysplasia – who put Athena on a clinical trial, she is now eight years old and living a happy and active life, enjoying her hobby of paddleboarding and even winning races on sports day at school.

Now Athena’s journey and remarkable recovery have been turned into a story book, written by her English teacher mum Alexa Phillips, who hopes it will help other children with the same condition as they undergo treatment.

Written in rhyme, the book follows a young child, Athena, through her hip dysplasia journey, from a week spent in traction and going to sleep in surgery to time spent in a special cast which they fondly nicknamed her ‘magic trousers’.

Athena was one day old when, in April 2015, her new-born physical screening examination showed a slight click in one of her hips. As a precaution she was sent for further tests, where scans showed a developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in its most severe form.

Just weeks later she was fitted with a special harness, but after 10 days she suffered with a femoral nerve palsy, an extremely rare event where the nerve gets trapped causing loss of movement. The harness treatment had to be stopped and the decision was made to operate.

Athena underwent surgery, where an incision is made in the front of the hip to open the joint, so that the ball of the hip will fit back into the socket.

She was also enrolled onto the Global Hip Dysplasia Registry, a worldwide trial with the UHS arm being led by Mr Alex Aarvold, consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. The trial aims to gather information on hip dysplasia cases across the world and compare outcomes.

Before her operation Athena spent time at Southampton Children’s Hospital in a gallows traction – with her legs secured in the air at a 90-degree angle for seven days.

Mr Aarvold said “Because Athena’s hips were dislocated, her muscles were distorted. The traction allows the muscles to relax and pulls the hips into a better position, avoiding complications and making surgery more successful.”

Following surgery Athena was placed in a spica cast, an unusual-shaped cast that covers both legs, waist and abdomen. This cast became known as ‘Athena’s Magic Trousers.’

Mum, Alexa, 40, from Ringwood said “At first, it’s quite daunting seeing your child in a spica cast, but as soon as you realise your baby is happy and comfortable it’s much easier to see the end goal.

“That’s where the idea of the story came from – it’s simply not as scary as it all looks. We called them Athena’s Magic Trousers as they were there to make everything better, and I want to reassure other children and families that everything will be ok as no matter how many times you are told what’s going to happen, nothing really prepares you for it.”

DDH affects approximately three out of every 1,000 babies born. Most often the socket of the hip is too shallow to hold the femoral head in place but in severe cases, like Athena’s, the femur is dislocated and is completely out of the socket.

Consultants at UHS treat approximately 100 patients a year, with one third of those patients receiving similar treatment to Athena. Early diagnosis of DDH often results in the use of a fabric splint called a Pavlik harness, which secures the hips in a stable condition allowing them to develop properly.

Athena now has an annual hip check-up in a clinic at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility at UHS.

Mr Aarvold said, “Athena is doing brilliantly, and it is such a joy to see her charging around normally. Without this treatment she would be limping, getting worsening pain and be limited in all these activities that she now excels at. The operation though is a major thing to go through, for child and parent alike.

“This book gives such a beautiful child-friendly description of the surgical journey – far better than I can ever describe it to families.”

Mum, Alexa, continued “The book is also a thank you to the team that have cared for Athena. If we hadn’t received the treatment we had, she certainly wouldn’t be the child she is today. We were looked after by the most incredible team, who instilled so such confidence - they know what they’re doing, and the results show that.”

Athena said, “I am really happy that children will get to read my book. I want it to help them not be worried. I hope their magic trousers work like mine did.”

The first copy of the book, illustrated by local artist Sarah Downes, was handed out to a patient at UHS in October 2023.